What The Water Gave Me
by knit-wear
Summary: AU:No Curse. The kingdoms of the Enchanted Forest are in turmoil. Princess Emma is the heir to her parents' kingdom and has just learned she may be destined to save the realm. When she crosses paths with the vengeful pirate captain Killian Jones on the high seas they form an unlikely alliance and can't seem to shake one another. Fate is hard to escape. #CaptainSwan
1. Prologue

**A/N: I love Princess Emma + Dark Hook so here is my interpretation of their non-curse, Enchanted Forest, HBO-version love story / adventure. Don't own anything. OUAT isn't the best for continuity in the first place so I'm taking artistic license here and there with character ages, timelines, locations, etc.**

* * *

 _Prologue._

It was meant to be a time of peace in the Enchanted Forest. The Evil Queen was locked away in the dungeons of Queen Snow and King David's castle, the ogres were almost extinct from the realm and nearly a decade had passed since Maleficent gave up her nefarious designs on Queen Briar Rose. Peace, or something resembling it for the first time in many years, had settled in the southern kingdoms of the Enchanted Forest.

The north was a different story entirely. The Dark One had taken over the Northern Kingdom, the native people of that land now refugees in other peaceful kingdoms while their royal family took refuge at King Midas's castle in the midlands. Those that remained in the kingdom had their hearts ripped out of their chest, forming an army under the Dark One, and extending his influence further still.

Where the Dark One's reach ended that of the evil sorceress Cora began. Having killed her father-in-law King Xavier and her husband Prince Henry, Cora claimed the Eastern Kingdom for herself and promptly began a reign of terror that drove the common folk further south. It wasn't apparent if Cora and Rumpelstiltskin were working against each other or together, stories were varied and it was hard to trust word of mouth when so many were no longer in possession of their own hearts.

Only the small kingdom of Caledonia, farther north than even the Northern Kingdom remained peaceful, but they had strange ancient magic protecting them there, magic even the fairies didn't fully understand.

In the midlands and south, royals and peasants alike comforted themselves in the knowledge that their immediate foes, Maleficent and the Evil Queen had been defeated.

After three weeks at King Stefan and Queen Briar Rose's castle, Princess Emma was more sure than ever that the kingdoms of the south were fooling themselves into thinking they were safe. It was a feeling in her gut that she couldn't shake. Every procession of court jesters and mistrals, every feast of rich food, every elaborate dress or pair of silk shoes reminded her of the evil that Cora and Rumpelstiltskin wrought in the north.

"I must say, there are an awful lot of cannons on this ship," Aurora mused happily from her place next to Emma on the docks. They were waiting to board the royal navy vessel that would take them to Emma's home kingdom.

Her twenty-first birthday was fast approaching and her parents were hosting an extravagant ball for all the royals in the realm to celebrate. She and Aurora were to travel by ship while the King and Queen traveled by litter across the countryside in an effort to raise the spirits of their people.

Emma watched one of what seemed like hundreds of trunks heave into the bowels of the ship by Aurora's family's sailors. All full of furs and silk shoes and feathered fans and other superfluous items that seemed unbearably extravagant to Emma. Her mother had always said she was a worrier; Emma believed herself to be a pragmatist.

She realized Aurora was waiting for her to respond to her cannon observation. "Well... I suppose they'll keep us safe," Emma said awkwardly. What she really thought was that Cora or the Dark One could appear on the ship at any moment they pleased and rip the heart out of every living soul on board regardless of the number of cannons. Gun powder was no match for magic.

But there was no need to worry Aurora. She was only two months younger than Emma but somehow they felt years apart. Perhaps because Aurora's days were spent embroidering, singing, dancing and learning to manage a household while Emma practiced with her bow and sword and rode whichever horse in the stable she pleased. These past weeks locked indoors with a loom had nearly driven her insane, her only reprieve to trick Aurora into gambling over cards and sneaking Dwarf Whiskey from the kitchens.

The sea lapped at the gangway as the two princess boarded the ship. Sailors held their caps over their hearts and bowed their heads low in the presence of royalty. Normally Emma would brush off such courtesy with the grace she'd learned from her mother, but presently all she could think of was getting to her cabin and out of the corset and panniers squeezing her guts into an unnatural shape.

Aurora continued to comment on different parts of the ship as the captain escorted them to their cabin - how magnificent and beautiful the fat white sails were and how handsome the young navel officers were in their funny hats and jackets trimmed in gold brocade. Emma listened politely, her thoughts flickering between annoyance at her corset and anxiety at the prospect of an encounter with one of their foes from the north.

When one sees their mother hunted by a deranged witch for the whole their life, one does not tend to underestimate danger.

The captain bowed low as he left the girls to get acquainted with their quarters, a small but comfortable cabin already housing some of their trunks wherever space allowed. Emma lifted the lid on one of the trunks and sighed in disgust at the fancy lace and ribbons filling it. She tried another trunk, which was stacked with men's boots but to Emma's great joy a nearly full bottle of Dwarf Whisky was poking out of one of the boots.

A sudden flash of sparks and blue smoke in the middle of the cabin nearly made Emma drop the bottle and Aurora yelped in surprise when The Blue Fairy appeared before them.

Emma's mouth fell open in surprise, "Blue!" She was so happy to see the fairy's familiar face she wished she could hug the tiny woman.

"Princess Emma," The Blue Fairy said in her always serene voice. "Princess Aurora"

Aurora looked nervously at Emma, not used to such a display of magic. "Madame Fairy," she dropped into a deep curtsy that made Blue smile and, Emma suspected, suppress a chuckle.

"What are you doing here Blue?" Emma stepped forward, trying not to sound as distressed as her heart felt.

"Your heart is heavy," Blue said, as if reading Emma's mind. "But not without good reason," she added solemnly, looking between Emma's hard eyes and Aurora's confused ones. "Your fears are true, princess, but I have come to tell you of a prophesy that will save all the lands and all the realms. We fairies can see some of the future, and it is a hard future that you both have yet to face. But it has been foretold that a young princess born under the spring moon in the year of the lamb will save the realm." Blue's eyes lit up as she continued, "This princess will be known as The Savior." She looked between the two girls. "Princesses, you were both born under the spring moon in the year of the lamb. One of you will be The Savior and the High Queen."

Aurora immediately gasped and fainted, Emma only just managing to catch her.

Blue fluttered in mid air for a moment longer, watching as Emma carefully laid Aurora down on her bunk. When she looked back up, Blue's petite face was creased with concern.

"Emma," she pursed her lips. "You must be strong. You must keep your heart open."

Emma stared at The Blue Fairy, not sure what this meant as she cradled Aurora's strawberry blonde head in her lap.

Blue seemed to read her mind again. "You will see, Emma. Keep your heart open, for love is often found in the darkest places."

With a sad smile Blue waved her hand and disappeared.

The ship began to pull away from the dock, moving out to sea as it began its westward journey towards Emma's home kingdom. She sank back on Aurora's bunk, or at least attempted to in whatever angle her corset and panniers allowed and ran The Blue Fairy's words over in her mind.

Emma looked down at the bottle of of Dwarf Whiskey in her hand. It was a three day journey by sea to her parents' castle. With the fairy's prophesy rattling around her brain, her friend unconscious across her lap and untold evils waiting to pounce on the kingdom she would one day rule, now seemed as good a time as any to indulge.

* * *

The Jolly Rodger was moored near Mermaid's Cove, ironically one of the only places in Neverland where a sailor was least likely to stumble across those accursed harpies. The ship bobbing gently in the night sea and Killian - or Hook as he was more colorfully known - stood at the helm brooding in the tropical night air with a full flask of rum in hand. His crew were sleeping below deck but he wasn't interested in the blackness of unconsciousness, not when he would only be tormented by dreams of his Milah. Reliving her final moments when the Crocodile ripped out her heart over and over again. He scowled, teeth clenching and jaw working and sipped his rum.

Killian's mind drifted from Milah to her son Bae, whom he'd lost to Pan years ago. How many years, he wasn't sure, but loosing Bae had almost been as bad as loosing Milah all over again. They had the same dark colouring, the same giddy light in their brown eyes at the prospect of adventure, the same haunted downturn of their lips when they spoke of the Crocodile.

Even if he had lost Bae Killian had gained one valuable piece of information all those years ago: the Dark One was controlled by a dagger. Where he would find that dagger, Killian did not yet know but it was now his life's mission to find out.

Most of his nights were spent drinking himself into a stupor while endlessly fantasizing about what this dagger could look like, where it could be and how he could get his hands on it to finally achieve vengeance for his Milah.

Inevitably he would have one sip too many and slip into unconsciousness where Rumpelstiltskin still haunted him. It was never ending.

"Thinking about your Crocodile again?" Pan's boyish voice called from up in the main sail's rigging, taunting as per usual.

Killian's kohl rimmed eyes slid up to the pixie-faced tyrant who had inadvertently become his employer over the past two or so centuries. How could one consider oneself a pirate if they worked for a satanic nymph like Peter Pan? He felt a swell of self-loathing in his chest.

Killian scowled, his hooked appendage digging into the wood of the helm. "What the bloody hell do you want?"

"I have a job for you in the Enchanted Forest," Pan said coolly, watching Hook intently. "The cargo is more precious than your usual fare - there are three boys from one of the northern kingdoms. Princes. They called to me but the magic of their land protects them from my shadow." He pursed his lips, "So i'm going about it a more direct course"

"Kidnapping?" Killian drawled, arching an eyebrow "I'm not bloody well kidnapping any princes, Pan. Try again."

Pan vanished from his place at the main sail and reappeared close to Killian's face. "Come now, Killian. I'll make it worth your while." He hissed, leaning in "Bae told me about his father's dagger. About Rumpelstiltskin."

Killian sent the boy a genuinely unimpressed glance and took another long pull of rum, raising an eyebrow. "Going to have to do better than that, mate. Bae told me about the dagger too."

Pan vanished and reappeared on Killian's right side, "What if I told you I could help you get the dagger, Hook?" A smug smirk lit up his boyish face as Killian stiffened, not wanting to be made a fool but unable to hide his curiosity. This was the reason he was in Neverland in the first place. To learn how to defeat the Dark One.

Without giving anything away Killian lazily arched an eyebrow at the boy, "Can you now, mate?"

 _"Aye_ ," Pan sneered and grabbed his hook which gleamed in the starlight. "I can enchant it so you can rip Rumpelstiltskin's heart from his chest. It won't kill him but you will control him and force him to give up the dagger." An even more nauseating lear graced his face as he forced Killian to meet his gaze. "Wouldn't that be sweet justice, Killian? All these years in Neverland and you'll finally get the vengeance you've so desired."

Killian did not respond to this. The rum was fogging his mind and although it was most certainly against his moral code to kidnap children, the desire for revenge in his heart was nearly overwhelming. He would have given his other hand if it meant the Crocodile was dead.

"The daughter of Queen Snow White and King David is turning twenty-one in two weeks and they will be throwing a lavish celebration," Pan's voice was bored but his eyes were full of mirth. "All the royalty in the realm will be attending. And lots of cakes, I imagine, " he added with a smirk, catching Killian's eye.

"Cakes?" Killian repeated, disbelievingly.

Pan spread his hands and smiled softly, "Cakes," he repeated. "Nothing more than cakes for the lost boys. But if you were to find a prince for me then perhaps I could lend you a hand in finding the dagger of the Dark One."

The idea of working with Pan to get his vengeance sat uncomfortably in Killian's belly, but similarly, he could ignore that discomfort as a means to an end. Cakes for the lost boys were normal cargo, children not so much. He was silent for a while before asking, "Why do you want these princes so badly?"

"Because I must be able to get what i want!" Pan exploded. "I'll make it easy on you." He vanished back into the rigging. "They're identical triplets so I suppose one will suffice."

Killian ran his tongue over his teeth and stared out at the black sea. "Cakes and a prince," he said numbly.

Pan floated down from the rigging to land in front of the helm, "Cakes and a prince," he echoed. "And you shall have your vengeance over Rumpelstiltskin. You can even return to the Enchanted Forest and never come back if you so wish." Pan's lip curled, "You're not as much fun as you used to be, you know that Killian?"

Killian held his hook up and stared into Pan's eyes, "Do it now," he said quietly.

Pan smirked and raised his hand, a small iridescent bean sitting in his palm. "Bring me a prince."

Killian plucked the magic bean from the damned demon's hand and rubbed his thumb over the curve, "These princes are traveling to Snow White and Prince Charming's Kingdom then, aye?"

Pan just looked at him, seeming not to deign this question worthy of an answer.

Killian pocketed the bean, and gave a tight smile, "Makes more sense to intercept them at sea on their travels, mate."

"Well then," Pan said irritably, "You best get on your way, _mate_."

And with that he vanished.

Killian ran his hand through his hair, breathing hard through his nose and stared out at the water, wondering at what point he'd turned down this path and become this man he no longer recognized.

After another long pull on the flask he retrieved the bean from his pocket.

"All right, mates! All hands of deck!" He bellowed, "We've got some pirating to do"

His crew scrambled up on deck and Killian forced his face into an arrogant smirk, focusing on the task at hand.

His Crocodile.

* * *

 **A/N: Hope to see some reviews ...!**

 **The artwork for this story is Frida Kahlo's "What The Water Gave Me" which does not belong to me.**


	2. Time Took Us To The Water

**A/N: 1) There are obviously** **multiple kingdoms within the Enchanted Forest on OUAT but they don't go into loads of detail so I made a map for myself and everything. You can see it if you ask nice. 2) There's no Camelot because God knows where they're taking that story line 3)** **I don't own anything**

* * *

 _Chapter 1. Time Took Us To The Water_

"Weigh anchor and hoist the colours, mates!" The Jolly Rodger's crew dashed around the deck, scrubbing the sleep from their eyes and struggling into their boots. Killian stomped back to the helm and tested the wheel to see which way the night winds wanted to take them.

"You heard the Captain, all hands on deck!" Smee stumbled up behind Killian in his usual incompetent manner, "Weigh anchor!"

"Thank you, Mister Smee," Killian bit out, watching his crew scurry about the main deck.

"What's our destination, Captain?" Smee twisted his red cap in his hands nervously trying to keep his voice nonchalant as he asked, "Wonderland?"

Killian rolled his eyes. The last time they'd been to Wonderland his first mate had nearly been eaten by a sunflower with the disposition of a bear. As if that was the worst thing that could have happened in that infernal realm. "The Enchanted Forest, Mister Smee."

Smee visibly relaxed and then puffed up with new-found courage, "Cake for the lost ones, Captain?"

"Aye," Killian spun the ship's wheel, guiding the Jolly Rodger out of Mermaid's Cove to open water where it would be safe to create a portal with Pan's bean. He shot his first mate a dark smile. "Cakes and perhaps a royal ransom if we so please."

This really seemed to please Smee who took off across the deck shouting orders and letting the pirates know they would be doing a real bit of pirating on this journey - the enthusiasm was infectious.

"They seem happy," came a heavily accented voice behind Killian, and he turned to see Tinkerbell leaning against the railing of his ship, examining her nails lazily.

"Alright, Tink," he drawled warily.

"Hook," she inclined her blonde head towards him. "I hear you're going to the Enchanted Forest."

Killian arched one black eyebrow; he liked Tink, she was fierce and could be ruthless when she needed to be, but she also had a tendency to get in the way with her fairy inclinations. Wings or no wings, she was as light as they came, and had clashed with Killian on more than one occasion.

"I suppose you want to come along?" He sent Tink a lazy smile. "Why might that be?"

Tink glared at him over her nails, "That's my business," she snapped, and pushed away from the railing. "Now are you going to open that portal or do I have to swim to Snow White?"

Watching her with concealed interest, Killian retrieved the magic bean from his coat pocket, hauled his arm back and threw it as far as he could out to sea.

* * *

Regina had never been so bored in all her life. If it wasn't bad enough that she was locked up, unable to do magic and had failed to exact her revenge on Snow White, she had only been offered a course muslin shift when her gown had become so filthy from the dungeons she couldn't bear to wear it any longer. Her dark hair had long come down from its elaborate coiffure and now laid in lank, matted knots around her shoulders. Her face was free of make up and smudged with dirt, her nails were cracked and her bare feet were caked with filth.

She knew she would leave these dungeons eventually. And when she did, she would make everyone who put her there pay dearly.

With nothing but time on her hands, Regina began to scratch a line to mark the 178th day of her imprisonment on the stone wall of the dungeon.

Oh, they would pay.

* * *

On the second day of their voyage, Aurora and Emma stood at the bow of the ship watching a school of dolphins swim alongside the hull, leaping and chattering happily. Despite a mild hangover from too much Dwarf Whiskey the night before, Emma couldn't help but smile at the pretty picture the sunshine and sea life made. It reminded her of her Mother, who had a way with animals unlike anyone Emma had ever met. Snow White could probably send a message via dolphin if she so pleased.

Aurora leaned over the bow as far as her panniers would allow - to Emma's great relief the gowns for their day at sea were a much more conservative affair. She was still trapped in her whale boned corset - which Aurora had laced far tighter than her organs were pleased with - but the heavy pannier hoops she wore today only accentuated her hips rather than tripling her width as her usual court attire tended to do.

The Captain - a middle aged man with a stiff back and a sparse tuft of white hair - approached them from the helm, "Your Royal Highnesses," he intoned severely, bowing low before them until Emma told him to rise, managing not to chuckle at the overeager propriety. "We are making great time to your kingdom, Princess Emma. The trade winds are with us and we expect to reach your parents' castle by nightfall tomorrow."

"Excellent news, captain." Emma beamed - she could not remember ever wanting to be home so desperately before in all her life.

Aurora waved her jewel encrusted fingers at the horizon where the edge of a forest could just be seen, "What land is this, Captain?"

"Why, it is the Kingdom of your cousin Prince Thomas and his wife Princess Ella, Highness."

"Cinderella?" Emma smirked.

"Emma!" Aurora admonished her, "That is not very kind."

"Oh, hush Aurora," Emma laughed. "Ella hardly minds. After all, she's just given Thomas yet _another_ son and that's all they care about in her land. Her days as Cinderella are long gone."

"But still, Emma, you should be more -"

Whatever Aurora was going to suggest she was cut off by a loud whooshing sound followed by an epic splash of water some 200 yards off. Aurora fell to the deck shrieking while Emma grappled with a lanyard to keep her balance. The whooshing got louder and louder, the ship rolling as if suddenly caught in a vicious storm despite the sun shining high above, and in the distance Emma was startled to see a whirlpool forming in the middle of the sea.

"What is that!" she shouted to the captain over the whooshing, and turned to see he was also clutching the ship railing, struggling to stand with Aurora's arms wrapped around his legs so not to slide across the deck. When Emma looked back at the whirlpool her breath caught in her throat - she had seen a lot of magic in her time but nothing quite so shocking as a ship with billowing white sails popping straight out from the middle of the ocean.

The Captain swore loudly, also staring at the other ship.

"What is that!" Emma demanded again. Their ship stopped rolling but now the menacing black sails were heading straight for them, and she had a sick feeling in her stomach that it could only be one sort of vessel. A pirate ship.

The Captain ignored her questions and shouted for his Lieutenant, one of the younger carefree sailors Aurora had been sniggering over when they first arrived.

"Yes, Captain?" There was an unnerving shake to his voice.

"Get the Princesses below now, Lieutenant."

"What is going on?" Aurora was struggling to her feet with Emma's help, one side of her dress now flat from where she'd crushed the hoops of her skirts. Her blue eyes were filled with fear and knowing her friend, Emma could sense tears were coming next. Aurora's gaze fell on the black sails in the distance which were most certainly getting closer. Her voice held a new note of hysteria, "Who is that?!"

"Come, Your Grace, there is nothing to worry about," the young Lieutenant offered Aurora his elbow turning her away from the pirates. "We'll get you below where you'll be safe." He turned to Emma, about to reassure her as well but thought better of it upon seeing her mouth pressed into a firm line and her eyes narrow stubbornly. Instead he just bobbed his head at her, "This way if you please, Your Highness."

Emma glanced back at the black sails, knowing in her gut that she would be more use to everyone on deck with a sword in her hand if only she wasn't dressed in these damned clothes that made her look like a bag of gold on legs. She could hardly lift her arms over her head in the corset, let alone run or fight. With an aggrieved huff she followed the Lieutenant and Aurora below to their quarters where he began piling the trunks full of clothes and useless finery against the cabin door.

"Give me a sword," Emma begged, "I can fight! Let me defend myself!"

Aurora sat on the bed, tipped oddly to the side with her broken skirts and began twisting the rings on her fingers anxiously, her eyes darting around the cabin like a frightened animal. She shrieked when a cannon went off - from which ship Emma couldn't tell.

And then there was the loud and seemingly endless creak of wood as the other ship pulled up alongside theirs, and the Lieutenant pulled his sword from its scabbard. He pushed Emma down on the bed next to Aurora, clearly an instruction for her to stay out of his way. Emma set her jaw and looked around for a weapon among the princess-y finery of their cabin. The most dangerous item she could find was a butter knife left over from their lunch, a pathetic defense but she refused to go down without a fight.

Heavy boots began to rain down from above, followed by the ragged screams of men going to battle and the metallic clash of swords.

The Lieutenant turned to Emma, his young face now wild rather than handsome. "Sit DOWN Your Grace!" He hissed, "For your own safety, I beg of you!"

The shouting and ringing of swords above became more scarce but heavy footfalls grew louder as the pirates descended into the belly of the ship, closer and closer to their quarters until the commotion was right outside their door. A gun went off, blowing a hole through the thick wooden door of the cabin and one of the precariously balanced trunks, a spray of ribbons following the trajectory of the bullet into the room.

The Lieutenant braced himself and Aurora was holding onto Emma's arm so tightly her nails nearly broke the skin. For her part, Emma clutched the dull knife beneath her skirts and flexed her toes, getting ready to fight.

Another gunshot blasted through the door and the trunks began to topple inwards. Aurora nearly screamed, the terror in her face evident but Emma clapped her free hand over her friend's mouth and met her eyes, silently imploring her to keep quiet.

"Any little princes in there?!" A rough voice called through the flimsy blockade.

"We only need one a ye!" another shouted

"Stand back you ruffians!"

Finally, the trunks were shoved aside and three pirates in various states of discomposure barged through, wielding cutlasses and daggers as they engaged the Lieutenant. It didn't take long for him to fall, his sword clattering across the floor at Emma's feet. She stared at it wide eyed and was utterly shocked by the fact that her clothes restricted her from simply bending at the waist to pick it up.

"Well, well, well," said the pirate who had run the Lieutenant through, he had a red bandanna covering his sun-burnt scalp and was missing an ear. "Not princes after all!"

"Looks like we found ourselves sommat better than princes," gaffed another, this one sporting an eye patch and a filthy shirt stained with fallen sailors' blood.

The pair of pirates began to move in, leering cruelly and Emma pushed the nearly catatonic Aurora behind her, preparing to brandish her pathetic butter knife. The sun-burnt man licked his lips, "I'm going to taste you first, Princess"

"Now hold on there, Stokes," interrupted the third pirate, a portly man in a red knitted cap who looked rather better taken care of than the other two. "Captain decides what to do with the prisoners."

Stokes swore violently, "Goddammit Smee, what makes Captain get first dibs on the lasses!"

The pirate missing an eye seemed to come to his senses upon his fellow's exploitative, "Because he's the Captain you mangy scum. Let's get them back to the Jolly before -"

Emma acted while they were distracted, she threw herself down on the floor towards the late Lieutenant's sword, her hand closing around the hilt as she rolled past it in a desperate attempt at movement. She felt a small swell of joy when the fabric under her right arm ripped, allowing her more freedom.

"Bloody hell!" the one-eyes pirate shouted in surprise, raising his sword just in time to catch Emma's blow. She slashed at him, forcing him to stumble backwards from the power behind her arm, then she stabbed at the pirate called Smee who simply turned on his heel and bolted out the door.

There was a heart stopping moment when the sound of lace and tulle tearing filled Emma's ears and she was jerked roughly to one side - Stokes had tried to stab her through the belly but only caught the giant mass of petticoats beneath her skirt. Emma hopped back, Stokes' sword slipping right out of his hand as it tangled in complicated net of wire and whale bone that made up her pannier. With her left hand Emma ripped Stokes' sword from her gown so she was now doubley armed.

The one-eyed pirate started to laugh, not cruelly but with genuine mirth, until Emma lunged at him with everything she had, everything she was capable of, everything her father had ever taught her. Slashing, parring, lunging and dodging - after a short time he was far from laughing - his face screwed up in concentration and sweat on his brow.

A loud, ominous click filled the room; the sound of a pistol being cocked.

"Now, now, love," A silky, unexpectedly posh voice laced with dark amusement made Emma freeze, both the Lieutenant and Stokes' swords raised high - the under arms of her dress now completely torn open from battle. "Why don't you set those down and let Old Bill take a rest, love."

Emma turned on her heel, not letting her guard down and was dismayed to see Aurora now on her feet with a pistol held to her temple, her eyes so wide and scared Emma instantly lowered her weapons but didn't dare fully drop them. She looked past Aurora's terrified face to the pirate who held her close against his chest and felt hatred roll through her belly at the self-satisfied smirk that crossed his face.

He was very handsome with a straight nose and a strong jaw covered in stubble; clean compared to the other pirates she'd encountered so far and dressed in black leather from head to toe. His eyes where rimmed with kohl, making his piercing blue gaze even more striking and his black hair looked soft, gently tousled by the wind. At the end of the arm wrapped around Aurora's waist was a gleaming silver hook where his left hand shout have been. His smirk only spread as he watched her take him in and the hatred in Emma's stomach intensified.

"Like what you see, darling?" He offered her a lazy wink and dragged the nose of the gun down the side of Aurora's face.

"Let her go," Emma demanded, keeping her voice low.

The pirate cocked his head to the side, "What's your name lass?"

Emma didn't respond, so with another deadly smirk the pirate roughly grabbed Aurora's chin and turned her to face him, "How about you darling, what's your name."

"Au-Aurora," she managed to stutter.

"And your talented friend over there?" he inclined his head towards Emma and Aurora immediately gasped Emma's name, a tear leaking slowly down her cheek.

"And who are you," Emma demanded coldly, still not putting down either sword. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, making her braver than was probably wise.

"Captain Killian Jones," he drawled, arching a black eyebrow. "But most people call me Hook"

Emma's mouth hardened, not at all impressed or charmed by this handsome pirate. "And why have you taken our ship, Captain Jones."

He paused, uncertainty flashing in his blue eyes for the first time, but when he realized Emma had seen it he hauled Aurora harder against him and snapped, "I'm sure you already know I'm here to steal you," he paused and smiled slowly, deliberately, licking his lips. "Your Highness."

"What makes you think I'm a Princess," Emma countered quickly.

Hook laughed without mirth, "Perhaps because you're on a royal vessel, lass."

They stood at an impasse for a moment, staring each other down while Aurora whimpered and sniffed.

The portly man in the red hat, Smee, reappeared. "No sign of the - " he glanced sideways at Emma and opted for, "Cargo, sir"

"Aye," Hook agreed, "Indeed it seems this is not the royal vessel we were looking for." His eyes wandered back to Emma, taking in her torn gown and rumpled state. "No matter, it's always handy to have a princess on board. Take Princess Emma to the Jolly Rodger."

"No!" Aurora sobbed

"Hush, love." Hook cooed softly at her, stroking her face with the nose of the pistol again. "We have no need of a hand maiden. You be a good lass and let the King and Queen know Princess Emma will be home soon and they should have their ransom ready"

At being labeled a hand maiden Aurora's countenance twisted in confusion but she knew well enough to keep her mouth shut. Emma wondered if Captain Hook was playing some trick or if he was just stupid. If it meant Aurora's safety, she would play along.

Emma dropped the swords, deciding to acquiesce now and fight later, and strode forward, fearless in the face of this dangerous pirate who thought so highly of himself. Meeting his eyes with a steely green glare, she roughly pulled Aurora from his arms and wrapped her in a tight hug. The hook that had been holding Aurora in place fell limply at his leather-clad side as he watched Emma embrace her friend fiercely and whisper encouragement against her thick strawberry-blonde curls.

After a tearful few minutes the pirate called Old Bill made an exasperated sound, "Can we bloody well get on with it, Captain"

"Aye," Hook agreed with a crooked smirk that was both flirtatious and dangerous. "Lets get Princess Emma home to the Jolly Rodger"

* * *

The princess's wrists had been tied behind her back, a gag stuffed in her mouth and she was presently being manhandled by Stokes and Old Bill across a plank to the Jolly Rodger. Killian watched her struggle, doing her best to make it difficult for Stokes to maneuver her and felt a smile pull at his lips - she was tenacious, that was certain. She was dressed angelically in a pale blue silk gown with white lace trimming the sleeves and neckline, not a hint of cleavage to been seen as she was packed tight into a corset - the kind that flattened and shrank rather than plumped and shaped. She had ripped the hem of her dress under her arms during her fight with Bill so the sleeves were now dangling by threads and white flesh that had likely never seen the light of day peeked out from beneath the silk. From where he stood he could see dainty blue silk slippers with silver buckles poking out from under many layers of white petticoats that created the affect of rather wide hips in contrast to her tiny waist.

Killian wondered absently if the effect was meant to make her more desirable to suitors. She wasn't married or wearing any rings, just a diamond in each ear and a gold locket at her throat.

He stood on a barrel and looked out at the deck of the royal ship, now littered with bodies and injured sailors... Hopefully there were enough of them still alive to get the other princess to Snow White and Prince Charming's castle in relative safety. There wasn't much point in claiming to want to ransom Her Royal Highness if the King and Queen didn't know she was in danger in the first place.

Killian crossed his arms and leaned against the main mast, watching Stokes and Old Bill transfer the furious princess between ships. He trusted most of his crew, knew they were good men who had followed him since Liam died so many years ago. But Killian also knew some of the pirates were the sort that regarded women as booty for their pleasure... had they taken both princesses one would have been used for ransom and the other expected to be used, for want of a better word, for companionship. He would not be having that on his ship and quickly decided to conceal the other royal from his crew, sending her off to let the King and Queen know what had befallen their daughter.

Two birds, one stone. Sometimes Killian even impressed himself.

"Bloody hell, will you get a move on you bint!" Stokes snapped in frustration and kicked Emma hard in the knees so she fell off the plank and landed hard on the deck, her petticoats flying up over her head as she gave a strangled gasp of pain from behind her gag.

"Stokes!" Killian snarled, eyes flashing as he pulling his cutlass. "You touch the princess again and I'll run you through and toss you to the bloody sharks myself."

Stokes glared hard and then lowered his eyes, "Apologies, Captain," he gritted out disdainfully.

"Well, what are you all doing!" Killian snapped at the rest of the crew, who had stopped to watch the exchange. "Weigh anchor and continue our course due east!" The crew scattered dutifully and began turning the ship to their original heading.

"Hook," Tink called, drawing his attention back to the princess. She was squatting next to her, a concerned crease to the her brow as she untied the ropes binding the girl's wrists. "Are you hurt?" She asked delicately, but the princess just turned her head away, refusing to communicate. Tink didn't seem offended by this, her small fairy's hands leafing through the many layers of petticoats, looking for something. With a grimace she lifted her hand to Killian, showing him bright red blood smearing her fingers.

"Bloody hell," he groaned. Perfect. A dead princess was the last thing he needed. "What's happened to her."

"We need to get her below deck," Tink said brusquely, getting to her feet. "Carry her."

The princess's eyes blazed at this and she tried to refuse, making angry sounds behind her gag and shaking her blonde head fervently. Tink held her blood stained fingers up to the princess's face, "Emma, you're hurt. If you ever want to see your home again you need to get better and we have to get a look at that leg."

"Thanks, Tink," Killian said flatly and reaching down to pull the princess into his arms. She did her best to make it difficult for him, remaining stiff, keeping her arms crossed and her head turned away from him and he wondered if he'd perhaps he'd chosen the wrong princess. The other one had been much more docile.

"Did you get stabbed?" Tink asked, following them. Emma still refused to communicate anything, clenching her mouth around the gag and turning her face away petulantly. Most of the pins that had previously held her long blonde hair in an elaborate coif had come out during her rebellion, and as the ship turned and the wind kicked up Killian was hit in the face with a wall of the golden curls smelling of rosewater.

"You know, darling, I only want to return you to your parents," he said sweetly, feeling the need to impose his authority on this willful girl as they followed Tink into the Captain's quarters. "But how many pieces I return you in is your own call."

That got her attention, her head whipping back to face him, but instead of fear at the idea of being chopped up her green eyes flashed with something he could only describe as a warning. She was brave beyond reason, her eyes sparkling as furiously as the diamond drops in each of her ears and Killian realized that despite himself, his initial annoyance at her willfulness was morphing into something more akin to respect. He found himself unable to look away from those burning eyes of hers, found himself staring back at her fiercely but couldn't find another careless threat to toss her way. Her body relaxed a fraction in his arms, her eyes searched his face suspiciously and Killian quickly looked away feeling uncomfortable under her gaze.

"Can we please get that gag out of her mouth," Tink complained as Killian set the princess down on his bunk. When he pulled back he didn't fail to notice bright red blood now blooming through her gown. "Get out of my way," Tink snapped, shoving him aside and pulling a small knife from her belt while the princess watched with wide, distrustful eyes. "Sorry about your dress," Tink said flatly, not sounding sorry at all before she sliced the silk gown from hem to waist revealing layers upon layers of torn, bloodied chiffon and some sort of wire contraption hooked around the princess's waist and thighs.

Tink unceremoniously began tearing the petticoats out of the way, the princess watching with a frown until the fairy finally found skin. There was a long but shallow gash along the princess's thigh, just under the lace of her excessively frilly drawers, where Stokes' sword had gone through her dress. The fairy touched it gingerly, rewarded with furious muffled shouting.

"Hook," Tink said over her shoulder, "Stop staring at her stockings and get this thing off her."

Killian had been doing his best to keep his dark gaze focused on the princess's wound rather than the silk stockings held up by pale blue ribbons just over her knees, making her white thighs look rather fetching indeed. He scowled at the fairy. "We've known each other a long time Tink, but that doesn't mean I won't stick my hook through your face." With a flick of his wrist the wire contraption came apart and the princess gave a muffled shriek in surprise. "Make sure she does't die," he added coldly, turning to leave before it occurred to him that this tenacious princess would more than likely try something devious even with a leg wound.

Deep in his desk he found the a set of manacles that had once bound his own wrists together before a daring escape from Wonderland.

"There there," Tink was saying as she wrapped a piece of linen around the princess's thigh. "Let me get this gag off you. It's inhuman, but that's a pirate for you."

Just as Tink was about to remove the gag Killian quickly cuffed Emma's left hand and clasped the other manacle to the bunk.

As expected, the princess raged and screamed behind her gag while Tink made a disapproving sounds.

Killian ignored them both and went above deck.

* * *

The Evil Queen's wardrobe was something fantastic to behold; velvet, fur, silk and satin embroidered with gemstones, all in dark tones as befit a queen who practiced the darkest of magic. Cora fingered a black velvet gown covered in shining crystals and imagined her beautiful Regina striding through the this castle which had once belonged to that harpy Queen Ava and her pathetic husband Leopold. Regina had taken their land with the black power that coursed through her blood. Power Cora had helped her achieve. And not for the first time since she had arrived at the Queen's castle, Cora was glad her heart was in a box in the dungeon rather than in her own chest.

"Feeling sentimental, dearie?"

Cora shut her eyes and released an irritated breath through her noes before turning to see the Dark One lounging on Regina's bed, as if he didn't have a care in the world.

"Rumpelstiltskin," she said with a tight smile. "It took you long enough."

Rumple shrugged gregariously, "I see you've taken Leopold's kingdom," he snickered, "Not exactly hard considering your daughter already had half its people's hearts in her vault, though, really."

"And I shall own the other half soon enough," Cora said imperiously, her hand curling around the velvet and crystal dress as if to draw strength from it. "So long as you have completed your task in the Northern Kingdom."

"My _task,_ dearie?" He cackled, high pitched and through his nose. "If by _task_ you mean I've collected enough hearts to form an army then yes, you could say that." His countenance turned sour quickly. "But I would remind you, _dearie_ , without me you would not know of the prophesy or the High Queen's coming."

"Oh Rumple," Cora simpered with a shake of her head, "Lets not fight. We've accomplished so much. Three kingdoms in the Enchanted Forest now belong to us, and now that King Fergus and his family have left the safety of their... strange kingdom for Snow's brat's birthday we will soon own four."

Rumple watched Cora for a moment, stroking his chin, "So," he said at last, a smile spreading over his face, "You still believe the prophesy is about you. That you are the High Queen. The _Savior._ "

Cora pulled Regina's dress from the wardrobe and held it to her chest. "Why wouldn't it be?" she purred, stoking the velvet. "I was born under the spring moon in the year of the lamb."

Rumple held up a sparkling finger and smirked, "Ah - but you were not born a princess and, if you don't mind me saying so, you may be the High Queen sort but you aren't exactly the _Savior_ type. _"_

A plume of smoke enveloped Cora and when it cleared she wore her daughter's dress, "Details," she said serenely, examining the crystals embedded along the wrist of the gown. "With your help, I will rule half the realm and become the High Queen, just as you have prophesied. And I will save my daughter from the cruel fate that Snow White has wrought for her." She gave a tinkling laugh, "Who else could I possibly want to save?"

* * *

A day and a half passed during which Emma remained chained to the bunk in the Captain's quarters, only the small blond woman named Tink came to see her, changing the bandage on her leg and bringing her food. She seemed kind but feral - like someone who'd been living alone in the woods for too long and had forgotten how to behave around other people. When she took Emma's gag off Emma tried to coerce her into unchaining her or tell her why they were going east when her parents' kingdom was west, or what the captain, Hook as Tink called him, was planning on doing with her, or who they had been looking for since as far as Emma could tell she was not their original target.

"Will you shut up already?" Tink snapped, "Talk to Hook. I'm just a passenger."

"A passenger going _where?"_ Emma pleaded, "Where have you come from? Where are we going?"

After a night and morning and another night of this Hook finally reappeared, looking like he didn't have a care in all the world. "I hear you want to speak with me, Princess." he smirked. "Decided to play nice, have we?"

"Where are we going?" Emma demanded. She was aware that she was only wearing a filthy gown that had been torn to the waist, her bandaged thigh and stockings showing but a lack of proprietary was the least of her concerns. "My parents' kingdom is west - you're going east. I thought you were going to ransom me?"

Hook pulled the chair from his desk over to sit facing Emma, his black boots kicked up to rest on the frame of the bunk lazily. "You're collateral," he said simply. "We will take you back to your parents, princess, I promise you that. But we have another mission to accomplish first."

Emma pursed her lips, "What is your mission. Maybe I can help."

He laughed at this, his kohl rimmed eyes dancing as he watched her. "You want to help a group of pirates?" One black eyebrow arched and he licked his lips, "What a naughty princess."

Emma sat up a little straighter, suddenly uncomfortably warm. She lifted her chin regally. "If it means getting back to my family I'll do whatever it takes."

Hook regarded her silently then dropped his booted feet to the floor, leaned forward and laced his fingers together, his face now serious. "What do you know about King Fergus and Queen Elinor?"

The question couldn't have taken Emma more by surprise, "Fergus and Elinor," she repeated dumbly, "They rule the clans of Caledonia. The northernmost kingdom of the realm..." Emma quickly clamped her mouth shut; she had no idea what he would do with this information and certainly wasn't giving away the only thing she had to trade for free.

He seemed to suspect what she was thinking and drawled, "You answer one of my questions, darling, I'll answer one of yours."

Emma considered this for a moment, drawing her lower lip between her teeth and meeting his eyes. They were incredibly blue, like the sky on a summer's day. At long last she nodded her head, "Fergus and Elinor rule the clans of Caledonia... They're very kind people and friends of my parents."

Hook raised his eyebrows a fraction, unsatisfied with her answer, "I didn't ask you if they were good dinner guests. I asked you what you know about them."

"Where are we going?" Emma asked instead of answering his question, she narrowed her eyes and watched him watch her.

"Princess..."

"They have four children, Merida is their eldest and their heir. She's my friend. And three young boys, triplets. Harris, Hubert and Hamish. Elinor nearly died in her childbed with them. The Caledonia clans are unruly but Fergus is a strong leader and as long as Merida finds a husband before her father dies she will be too... Even though that doesn't appeal to her much..." Emma cocked her head to the side, staring Hook down. "Now, where are we going?"

Hook sat back in his seat and regarded Emma carefully before speaking. "We're heading east to intercept King Fergus's ship on its way to your parents' kingdom." He informed, his lips quirking up in a crooked smile he added, "They're on their way to your 21st birthday ball."

Emma blanched, "No! You're after Merida!"

Hook made a tisking sound, "My turn, princess."

"What are you, collecting princesses or something!" Emma's shock melted into anger and she fought the urge to lash out at him. She couldn't reach him. She had no weapon. He had a hook for a hand and she was only collateral.

"My turn," Hook repeated, his blue eyes sparkling darkly. Emma couldn't help but feel that every time she got riled up it amused him. She resolved to stay calm and sat back on the bunk pressing her lips into a firm line.

Hook rubbed a hand over his jaw, watching Emma seethe before asking her, "What do you know of Rumpelstiltskin"

That threw Emma, she frowned and searched her mind for whatever she knew of the imp. "He... Rumpelstiltskin is the Dark One. He deals in favours and up until recently he's been little more than a menace to be avoided..." She frowned, for the first time since she'd been taken by pirates remembering the turmoil the people of the north were being subjected to. "But now he's taken over the Northern Kingdom by... by ripping out the hearts of their people and controlling them." Emma looked out the window at the endless expanse of sea, feeling suddenly helpless as she thought about the plight of the Enchanted Forest and how now she was even more helpless to do anything about it.

"Cora, the Evil Queen's mother and an incredibly evil sorceress, killed her husband Prince Henry and her father-in-law King Xavier, and took over the Eastern Kingdom with an army of men and women whose hearts she controls. Now she and Rumpelstiltskin are fighting for power," Emma shut her eyes, blocking out the sea and fingered the bandage on her leg. "It all happened so fast. Only a few months ago The Dark One helped my parents imprison the Evil Queen. But he's turned out to be even worse than she was."

There was silence for a long time, Emma's eyes shut as helplessness took over until Hook interrupted her thoughts unexpectedly

"I'm sorry."

Emma's head shot up, glaring, but the pirate captain's eyes were softer than she'd seen them and there was something heartbreaking behind the blueness. She exhaled loudly and continued, "The Evil Queen wants my family dead. The Dark One wants to control the realm and he doesn't care who he kills or hurts to do it. Maybe... maybe Regina could have stopped him if we just let her have what she wanted."

Hook scoffed in disbelief, "You think if you let the Evil bloody Queen kill you and your parents then she would have taken up the noble cause of stopping the Dark One from obtaining as much power as he possibly can? That she'd save the realm? Not bloody likely, darling."

Emma scowled at him, finding the hatred in her belly that had made her strong enough to fight with a stab wound the day before. "My turn for a question. Why are you kidnapping Merida?"

Hook stood up, his chair scraping against the floor and he smirked at her. "Sorry, darling. That's all for tonight"

Her eyes blazed, "Come back here!" She called after him as his black form retreated back up to the deck. "Hook! HOOK! COME BACK HERE!"

* * *

Aurora spent the rest of the voyage to Emma's kingdom tending to the wounded. She had never seen so much death and mutilation before, and had to fight to keep from being sick when helping a man who was still alive although his intestines had spilled out on the deck next to him. He died not long after. But she gathered her courage, resisting the urge to hide in her cabin until they reached land, and determined to save as many men as she could.

There were only about five or six sailors in any state to man the ship, which was only just enough. Aurora remained below deck doing what she could to help. Remarkably, princess lessons came in handy in a crisis. After hours of sewing and embroidery she was able to stitch wounds nearly perfectly. Those who were clearly in their last moments clutched at her hands with fear in their eyes and she sang soft ballads to calm them as they passed.

The Blue Fairy had said she might be The Savior, and at the time Aurora was convinced the prophesy was about Emma, who was brave and strong and could fight like a warrior. But could it possibly be her?

When the words _"Land ho!"_ reached Aurora's ears she nearly began to sob with joy, buts she remained below deck with the wounded in case anything were to happen.

"Are we home, princess?"

The sailor next to her had lost an arm to a pirate and despite the makeshift tourniquet Aurora had made with a strip of silk from her gown she could see the light fading from his eyes. He needed magic.

"Yes," Aurora said with a soft, sad smile. "The fairies will help you, sir."

He winced and breathed steadily through his nose.

There was a commotion above deck, feet pounding and multiple hysterical voices shouting. Seconds later Snow White exploded through the hatch below deck and looked around the galley in a panic. "Emma!" She heaved a deep breath, her hand going to her heart as she stared almost blindly at the bleeding man draped across Aurora's lap. "Where is my daughter?"

Sometime later, having been bathed and redressed, her bloodied gown sent to be burnt and the dirt and blood cleaned from under her nails, Aurora found herself with a cup of tea in the King and Queen's War Room. At a large oak table in the middle of the room sat Snow and Charming's closest and most trusted allies; the Dwarves, Granny and Red, the carpenter Gepetto and his son Pinocchio, and the Blue Fairy who had appeared to Aurora and Emma on the ship only a dew days ago - she was watching Aurora especially carefully as she told them everything that had happened from the prophesy to the pirates taking their ship and heading east.

The King sat across from her, his head in his hands while Snow paced the room.

"Pirates," Charming said, looking up at her bleakly. "So they'll ransom her?"

"At best," Granny said unhelpfully, "I don't even want to think about what could happen at worst."

"Granny!" Red admonished

Aurora could only shake her head sadly, staring at her tea as if the answers were there. "They were looking for something. Or someone. Not us. I don't know what... But they said they were going to ransom her."

Snow made a furious sound to hide her grief and went to the window where a small blue bird chirped happily at her, oblivious to their plight. "Why would they go east," she murmured, more to herself than the room. Aurora saw the Queen's hands shake as touched the golden locket over her heart, the twin to locket that Emma always wore on casual occasions.

"Maybe it's something to do with the prophesy?" Grumpy offered, "Maybe someone to the east wants The Savior. Like the Dark One or Cora."

The Blue Fairy shook her head sadly, "Aurora could also be The Savior. Why wouldn't they take them both?"

Aurora felt a sad twist in her chest - perhaps it had been obvious to the pirates, the way Emma had fought and she had cowered in fear, that she wasn't The Savior. She shared this thought with the room and in response they all cooed at her reassuringly and told her what a good job she'd done getting the sailors home safely, which only made Aurora feel worse.

"Should we talk to Regina...?" Charming began to say, turning to look at his wife.

"No," Snow said firmly, regaining her composure. She held her finger out to the small bird, and it hopped merrily onto the perch she offered. "We need to get our daughter a message."

* * *

 **A/N: WHAT! THERE'S A PLOT?**

 **A lot of you are following the story. You should write me a review to tell me why...** **I reckon more reviews make people more likely to read?**


	3. My Black Eye Casts No Shadow

**A/N: Now that OUAT is on again I'm sure things will go even more off-cannon in this story beyond character ages/timeline.**

 **Now, get ready for Emma to pull the ultimate Disney Princess and make friends with a small woodland creature.**

* * *

 _Chapter 2. My Black Eye Casts No Shadow_

Emma had grown incredibly bored with being chained to Captain Hook's bed with only the feral little blonde to talk to when she came to check her bandage or bring her food.

Finally, on her fourth day in captivity Emma was laying on her back with her free arm draped over her face to block out the sun, when there was a tapping at the window. She peaked over her elbow lazily to see the source and nearly yelped with joy at the small bluebird perched right outside the cabin's murky window, watching her curiously and tapping the glass gently. Suddenly feeling hope for the first time in days, Emma crawled as far as her restrains would allow her and looked for a latch to let the bird in. She was certain the bird was from her mother - there was no possible way a tiny bluebird could have made it this far out to sea unless there was some sort of magic involved.

There wasn't a latch - only dirty glass and old brass welded shut. Her mother's bluebird looked at Emma almost impatiently and tapped it's beak against the window again before lifting a leg to reveal a small scroll attached with a silk ribbon. Emma's eyes widened and she looked even more desperately for a way to let the little creature into the cabin. Realizing there was only one way through the window, Emma bit her lip in grim determination and wrapped her free hand in the silk skirts of her destroyed gown. She hauled her arm back in a very unprincess-like manner and smashed her fist through the old glass with as much strength as she had in her.

The bluebird hopped through the jagged hole she had made and lifted its leg, holding the scroll out to her dutifully. Emma was so overjoyed she hardly noticed the bleeding cuts on her hand where the silk hadn't fully protected her, and her fingers shook as she pulled the silk ribbon to reveal her mother's elegant penmanship.

 _Emma. Aurora told us what happened. Have you been mistreated? Are you hurt at all? I know you're strong and can look after yourself but I miss you so much. Please send word with this bird - anything at all that can help us get you back. Aurora says you're heading east. I've sent word to Ariel and Eric and they are massing their ships to form a blockade in case the pirates plan on continuing east around the C_ _ape of White Isles. A_ _n entire armada would not be able to get through, let alone one pirate ship. Aurora says the pirates are looking for something - do you know what it is? We expect Fergus and Elinor to arrive from the north and Stefan and Briar Rose from the east within a fortnight. We will find you Emma._

 _We love you and miss you so much. I will see you soon, I know it._

 _Mother_

Tears sprang to Emma's eyes and the bird hopped up to her shoulder, singing lightly as if trying to console her.

She hadn't realized just how much she missed her parents - it had been over a month since she'd left for Aurora's kingdom, the longest she'd ever gone without seeing their faces.

Scrubbing the tears from her cheeks, Emma looked around for something to write with. There was nothing but her own blood, and she was sure that would not put her mother's mind at ease in the slightest. From where she sat on her knees on the captain's bunk she could see quills and parchment on the heavy old desk nailed to the floor, but there was no way she could reach them while chained to the bed.

The bluebird hopped from Emma's shoulder to the windowsill, suddenly alert, and began chirping at her rapidly.

"What is it?" The creature looked from her face to the door and then back to Emma again, trying to communicate. "Is someone coming?"

The door to the cabin swung open and Tink swept in with a plate of food, her usual rough demeanor in place until she saw the broken window, the bluebird and Emma's bleeding hand. Her pale eyebrows shot up, "What is going on?" She demanded warily.

Emma looked at the little bluebird, still watching her "Go!" She urged. It twittered back at her, dissenting, and came to sit on her shoulder once more.

Tink narrowed her eyes, ridding herself of the tray of food. "What happened to your hand? How did a bird like that get all the way out here?"

Emma clenched her mother's note in her uninjured hand and made a decision. "Tink..." she started quietly, "Can... would you be able to hand me a quill and parchment from the desk."

Tink searched Emma's eyes with a strange expression on her face but didn't say anything.

"What the bloody hell is going on here?" Hook's black form appeared behind Tink, his eyes following the same course as Tink's from Emma's bloody hand, the bird, the window and finally the note. His kohl-lined eyes narrowed dangerously at her, making him all the more striking as he strode into the cabin. "Do I need to repeat myself, princess?"

Emma grabbed the bird off her shoulder and, without regard for her own safety, thrust it and her mother's note through the broken window, catching her arm on the broken glass. "Go!" she repeated, "Tell them I'm alright and I'll be home soon!"

Hook stared at her incredulously, as if she were mad, "Did you just talk to a bloody bird?"

"Her mother can do it," Tink said quietly and darkly.

Now Hook's brow furrowed and he swayed over to where Emma knelt on his bed and met her gaze evenly, offering her a charming smile "What was in that note, princess." There was no warmth beneath the charm.

Emma tried to throw herself at him, pummel him in whatever way she could with her bleeding arm, but after a hard shove from Hook she was flat on her back on the bunk. His right hand splayed across her corseted chest, pushing her hard into the mattress while the blunt curve of his hook pressed against her throat. She lay there stiffly under him, breathing hard through her nose and seething as his blue eyes drifted up and down her body lazily, with the kind of ungentlemanly interest that would usually be rewarded with a slap across the face.

Emma knew what he was doing, intentionally demeaning her as a way to control her. "My father will kill you," she practically spat. "He'll cut off your head and put it on a spike."

"Many a king have threatened worse," he replied lazily and pushed Emma further into the bed. He leaned down, his face coming distractingly close to hers. "Now listen closely, princess." His voice was a low growl and full of a kind of raw fury Emma had never been on the receiving end of before. "You will not get in the way of my revenge."

"Your revenge?" Emma stared back at him, her anger momentarily forgotten in her confusion "What on earth are you talking about? What have my family or Merida's family done that you need to avenge?"

The hand on her chest tensed, she could feel rings pressing through her broken corset against her breasts while he glowered at her and then at long last stood and wordlessly left the room with Tink trailing silently after him.

* * *

The Northern Kingdom looked more or less exactly like Caledonia - green rolling hills and pine trees, brooks and glens and great stone monuments. For what had been sold to her as _an adventure,_ Merida rather thought she may as well have been traveling around her home kingdom in this damned boring litter she'd been stuck in for a week as they traveled south-west through the Enchanted Forest.

Adventure and diplomacy, they'd said. Riding and hunting with Emma, they'd said. A dangerous journey through the mostly abandoned Northern Kingdom, they'd said. Maybe a wee betrothal for one of her brothers, but certainly not for Merida, they'd said.

The litter rolled slowly past another set of identical pine trees and ferns and brambles and with a long-suffering moan Merida shoved the velvet curtain back in place, blocking out the endless greenery and turned back to her family. The litter was a hulking metal monstrosity that required ten horses just to drag it through the underbrush. Outside it was decorated with ornate metalwork to dress it up, black bears wrought in silver and majestic swirls of malignite. Inside was draped in rich velvet curtains, heavy embroidered tapestries, bearskin rugs and fur blankets but those pieces of finery did not make the litter feel any less like a prison to Merida.

Her father was in a deep sleep, snoring away under a pile of furs, his huge frame taking up nearly half the litter while her mother sat on a silk pillow beside him, her petite shape squashed between the king and a tapestry featuring the cursed bear-prince Mor'du being slain by Merida. Ever since the incident some years earlier when Merida had accidentally cursed her mother and turned her into a bear, her father hadn't been quite so insane about his "bear thing" but still told the story of how he lost his leg to Mor'du any chance he got. Now it was accompanied by part two: his brave daughter, the future Warrior Queen Merida, had fearlessly fought and crushed Mor'du, avenging the king's missing leg and saving the kingdom in one fell swoop.

Merida rather liked the tapestry, featuring her flame-haired likeness standing over a huge dead bear with her bow raised high in the air, but she wasn't about to admit that to her family.

Presently, The Queen was embroidering as she had been for the last seven days straight since they'd left Caledonia, her brow uncreased and unconcerned, her eyes serene as if she'd be happy to stay in the mobile cage for the rest of her life with The King snoring in her ear. On the other end of the litter Merida's three brothers were playing dice and looking miserable. No longer adorable cake-obsessed children but grumpy young men with far too much energy to be locked indoors this long.

" _MUUUUUUUUUUUUUM,_ " Hamish whinged in abject misery.

Elinor simply smirked and continued embroidering without looking up, "Yes, my love?"

"Please, mum" Hamish begged, banging his ginger head against the wall of the litter. "Please can we just get out and _walk."_

"Since when has walking ever killed anyone!" Hubert wailed petulantly before dramatically trying to smother himself with a large fur.

Harris chucked the dice they'd been playing with at their sleeping father, rewarded only with a loud snore. "Dad... _DAD_ please can we get out and ride instead of rolling along in this _women's_ prison!"

"Oi! You three shut it!" Merida tried to sound disapproving even though she completely agreed with her brothers. Danger? Where was the danger? Danger that they'd all go mad from confinement maybe. They had another whole two weeks of this nonsense before they got to King Charming's (as her father called him) castle on the very south coast of the realm. It was the first time she had ever left Caledonia and, yes, it was very exciting to get out of her kingdom to learn more about the realm. Since the Mor'du incident she had been having Queenly Lessons that appealed to her far more than her previous Princess Lessons. Diplomacy. Leadership. Fair judgment. Patience. All but the last came naturally to her.

"Perhaps," she began tentatively, glancing at her brothers who were now all smothering themselves with furs and threatening suicide, "We should get out and ride for just a wee bit. It wouldn't be very _queenly_ to arrive at King Charming's castle with a litter full of mad Caladonians."

Merida's mother sent her a narrow look, "You know what that Blue Fairy woman King Charming sent to us said: Under _no_ circumstances are we to leave the litter while we travel through the Northern Kingdom. That Dark One the common folk always speak of has turned this whole country into _Zombaidh_." Her usually collected demeanor wavered slightly on the word. "I'll not have my children's hearts ripped out by a demon."

"Zombaidh," Harris repeated dryly. "Really mum, ye believe that lark?"

"Says the wee lad who was once turned into a bear!"

Hubert crossed his arms petulantly and looked out the window, "I still don't see why we couldn't have taken a ship to King Charming's castle like when Emma came to see us."

"We are only a small kingdom, my love. We don't have a navy as the southern kingdoms do."

"Emma would have let us borrow a ship," Hubert continued, pouting. " _She_ wouldn't travel in a cage."

Merida smirked at her brother, "Someone's been thinking an awful lot about Princess Emma, eh?"

Hubert glared darkly back at her but couldn't seem to come up with anything in the way of a rebuttal, so he huffed and glared out the window.

Hammish was now glumly picking through the food basket that had been sustaining them for the last week, grumbling, "I wish a Zombaidh would come and kill me."

Just as the words left his mouth the litter came to an abrupt stop, jolting The King awake. "Aye, bloody hell. Are we there?" He slurred, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

The Queen stiffened on her silk pillow and Merida reflexively reached for her bow, her senses suddenly alert. Her brothers had stopped moaning and were looking at each other nervously.

"Why've we stopped?" The King looked around at his nervous family, "What's wrong with the lot of ye?"

Harris was pale, "Goddamn ye, Hammish. Ye called the bloody Zombaidh to our door."

The Queen told him off for swearing but her heart wasn't really in it.

"Zombaidh," The King narrowed his eyes and patted his sword. "Don't ye fear laddy. We Caledonians aren't afraid of any Zombaidh, not after facing the likes of Mor'du."

After a long drawn out silence during which Merida's hand closed tighter on her bow, the king's sword slid slowly out of its scabbard and the queen's mouth tightened exponentially, a knock rattled through the the litter's door. The king opened a small window to reveal one of their clansmen who was escorting the litter.

"Ye alright there Brochan? Not a Zombaidh yet?"

Brochan smiled broadly, almost drunkenly. "Aye your highness, not a Zombaidh quite yet. But we've reached the Evil Queen's Kingdom -or the West Kingdom now, I 'spose since she's been locked up and King Charming rules this land now. So ye can all come out if ye want. "

The boys said their thanks to the Gods and tripped over themselves getting out of the litter

Merida stepped out into the sun, taking note that the boarder between the Evil Queen's land and the Northern Kingdom consisted of a line of burnt-down evergreens. She wondered if it ran the whole length of the kingdom and shuddered despite herself. Emma had told her of what that woman had done to her family and to her land, it was a kind of human evil Merida had not faced before. Magic, yes, Beasts, of course. Physical violence, absolutely. But a heart so black and full of hatred she had yet to encounter and the burnt our line of trees her brother's were now relieving themselves on was a strong visual reminder of that.

Merida joined her parents and Brochan at the litter door, "Should only be about five days journey west to the coast then another week south to King Charming's castle," Brochan was saying, still with that drunken smile on his face.

Merida eyed him warily, something about him was off but her parents didn't seem to notice.

Clutching her bow and gazing at the burnt evergreens, Merida was certain she felt the crackle of magic in the air.

* * *

"What is wrong with you!" Tink shouted, following Killian around the main deck while the sun slowly sank below the horizon. Most of the crew were taking their evening meal below deck so it seemed an appropriate time to have a go at him.

He turned on her, his black coat fanning out behind him and slurred, "What do you want from me, woman!"

Tink had been watching him drink himself silly since their encounter with the princess only a few hours earlier - when he had practically sat on the young woman's chest threatening her for talking to a bird as she bled all over his bed from one wrist while the other pulled painfully at the manacle holding her in place. Tink had retreated above deck with Killian, sure Emma would be far too angry to accept her help after she'd been so compliant during the altercation. Tink was ashamed of herself, really. She knew she couldn't get on Killian's bad side but she was still a fairy with a strong moral compass, even if it was occasionally muddled with her sense of self preservation, she couldn't help the swell of guilt when she thought of the princess below deck.

"Look at yourself!" she shouted now, her accent growing thicker as anger and guilt bubbled inside her. "I know you Hook, and I know you will stop at nothing to get your revenge but this - " she gestured up and down at him. "This is bloody destructive and scaring that poor girl isn't going to help!"

He only made a face, shrugged her off and took a long sip of rum. "She's not afraid of me," he said at last.

Tink rolled her eyes, "You want her to be afraid of you."

Killian stared at her incredulously, "Of course I do! I'm a bloody pirate and she's my goddamned prisoner!"

She fixed him with a hard stare. "That's not _all_ you are, Killian." When he stocked away from her back to the helm she followed, "You're trying to avenge the woman you loved. Would Milah want you to do it like this?"

In a blink he had drawn his sword and it was at Tink's throat, his eyes blazing and his jaw clenching. "I swear Tink, I will fucking run you through if you keep this up." She swallowed thickly, more nervous that his drunkeness would cause an accident rather than him intentionally hurting her but Killian continued to stare her down, furious. "She is my prisoner. If she and her mother can speak to bloody birds then I'm willing to bet my life _Queen Snow White_ knows something I'd rather her not know."

Tink opened her mouth to say something noble but then Killian's eyes narrowed and he pressed his sword hard against her throat, hard enough to draw blood. "See to her wounds. That's an order," he snapped, then turned away from her again, taking a long pull of rum.

Her hand moved to her neck to feel the small cut he'd made - a warning and an order as if she were one of his crew. He felt he was loosing control, she realized, and apparently drinking was his answer to that particular sensation. With a sad shake of her head Tink retreated below deck and found herself in front of the captain's cabin door where Emma was probably plotting their deaths inside. She knocked tentatively, again feeling guilt bloom inside her chest. When there was no answer she slowly pushed the door open and saw the princess fast asleep on Killian's bed, her manacled arm above her head still chained to the wall, her blonde hair in complete disarray and a large panel of her gown torn off, revealing the makeshift bandage around her thigh, her stockings and now with more of the gown missing, her extravagant lacy underthings. The blue silk of her gown was wrapped around her arm and wrist in an even more makeshift bandage, stained with brown splotches of dried blood.

Tink made sure Emma wasn't weaponized before shaking her awake. The venom in the young woman's green eyes was nearly paralyzing. "What do you want," Emma bit out and Tink held back the sharp response on her tongue.

"I'm... sorry," she said at last. "For what's happened to you. And for not helping you." She glanced at Emma, who had sat up and was watching her warily. Knowing it would enrage Killian but also feeling she needed to make some sort of show of solidarity with Emma, Tink went to the desk to find the keys to the cuffs binding Emma to the wall.

"What are you doing..." Emma's eyes narrowed suspiciously as Tink sat on the bed next to her and reached for Emma's cuffed hand, freeing her and recoiling silently to let Emma rub feeling back into her wrist and decide what move she would make in response to this act of goodwill. At last Emma shot Tink a sideways glance, "Are you letting me go?"

Tink gave a short laugh, "We're in the middle of the ocean, Your Highness. There's no where for me to let you go... Plus Hook would kill me," she added with a shrug.

"How can you stand that monster," Emma gritted out bitterly. "He kidnapped me. Now he's after my friend and some kind of revenge - the Gods only know what for."

Tink chewed on her lower lip, measuring her words and thinking about Killian stumbling around miserably above deck. "He's not a monster, he's just lost his way. Now let me see your hand, princess."

She turned to take Emma's injured hand and Emma immediately spotted the shallow cut on her neck. "Not a monster," she scoffed, tracing the mark with her index finger and showing Tink her own blood. "He slices up his friends as well as his enemies, then?"

Taking Emma's hand and ignoring her completely valid complaints about Killian, Tink began unwrapping the blue silk to see how badly she'd damaged herself. It wasn't all that bad. A lot of shallow cuts and one deep gash down her forearm from when she'd shoved the bird out the window. Tink removed the linen from Emma's thigh which had now more or less healed and wrapped it delicately around her arm to staunch the new wound. A joke about Emma getting herself into trouble sprang to her lips but she decided to swallow it.

"So, why are you here?" Emma was looking at her curiously, her eyes now softened and no longer full of spite.

Again, Tink measured her words. She hadn't told Killian where she planned to go, but perhaps making an alliance with Emma was for the best considering the state he was in. Drunk and destructive, heartsick and vengeful, exhausted after centuries of searching and and manic after finally coming so close to what he sought. He was more likely than ever to fail, to end up with his heart ripped right out of his chest by the Dark One.

"I... I used to be a fairy. But I lost my wings," Tink stood suddenly and went to the desk, searching for the rum she knew Killian kept there. If she was going to do this she couldn't do it sober. Emma was watching her with curious eyes as Tink sat back down on the bed and handed her a tumbler, a generous splash of rum sloshing within. "To my wings," Tink said flatly.

They downed the booze, and to Tink's surprise. Emma didn't wince but held her glass out for another round, her pretty green eyes still watching curiously, almost imploring. "How does a fairy loose her wings, anyway."

Tink poured more rum and stared at her glass for a while before replying at last, "People stop believing in you."

Emma frowned, and Tink was inclined to shout at the princess for pitying her but she knew it wasn't really pity, it was the kind of compassion Snow White had so frequently shown and before she knew it Tink was saying, "I used to watch your mother when she was young when I lived in the Enchanted Forest. Before Regina or even Cora ruled. She was so kind and I remember rabbits and squirrels would come up to her when she was a child, like they trusted her. I was always in trouble back then when I had my wings..." she smirked crookedly, "I wasn't a very good fairy to begin with. But I wished I could be more like your mother. Her goodness and her hope made her special and the animals could see it."

Emma was smiling sadly and sipped her rum "She does have a way with animals. I didn't realize how much I missed her until..."

Tink shot her a sideways glance, "Until she sent you that bluebird today," she finished for the princess.

Emma shrugged noncommittally and held her glass out for more rum.

Not wanting to push the subject, Tink returned the conversation to the captain. "Hook's not so bad really," she said, the rum making her chatty.

"Do you really think taking up with a pirate like him is a way to get your wings back?" Emma asked bluntly. "I mean, if you need people to believe..."

"It's a means to an end. I just needed passage back to the Enchanted Forest," Tink said dully. "And he's not that bad. Hook's saved me from the Lost Boys in Neverland. That's where we've come from," she added conversationally, "He knows what it's like to have something taken from you and to be abandoned. The thing that makes you who you are. Not once, but twice, the poor bastard." Emma was holding her glass out for more rum and Tink obliged.

"No matter what pain he's experienced, that's no excuse for what he's let himself become," the princess said diplomatically, "Life is about choices and paths. Most of the time, to do the right thing you have to take the hard path."

Tink nodded, "You're not wrong," she agreed "But that doesn't make him a monster. I have hope for him."

Emma's eyebrows shot up at that, and her mouth dropped into a sad smile, "My mother says hope is the most important thing... I suppose that means I must have hope for him too."

Tink snorted into her rum, "Gods, don't let him hear you say that."

They chatted more about Tink's wings, what it was like to be a fairy and stories about Snow White until they were both slightly intoxicated. Now, feeling more companionable with the princess, Tink gathered her courage to ask what the bluebird had delivered.

Emma smiled broadly, "Good news for both of us," she said cheerily and lent in towards Tink conspiratorially, as if they were two girls sharing a secret. "This ship will never get to Merida. It won't even make it around the Cape of White Isles - my godparents are launching a blockade that could stop an entire armada. They'll take us back to my parents so you won't have to travel with Hook." Tink tried to keep her countenance blank as Emma sighed happily and beamed at her. "And then we can work on getting your wings back."

Tink's heart swelled with affection for the princess, who seemed genuinely invested in her cause. But she hadn't told Emma how she planned to get her wings back. And she had a feeling Emma wouldn't approve if she did tell her.

They talked some more about Tink's time in Neverland and then about how Emma had some skill with animals - she could send a message with a bird easily enough but she didn't have deer bringing her bouquets of flowers or squirrels waking her up in the morning. Gradually Emma began to look tired so Tink encouraged her to go to sleep and left the key to the handcuffs with her, and Emma promised to lock herself back up in the morning so Tink wouldn't get in trouble with Hook.

"He's not that bad," Tink said again, shrugging drunkenly as she struggled to her feet. "Hook saved your princess friend from a grim fate."

Emma frowned, "Aurora?"

"Mmmhmmm. Some of these pirates have been with Hook since his brother died but some of 'em are just plain old pirates who'd rape a woman as soon as look at her." Tink looked Emma up and down, "Why do you think you're locked in here and he's sleeping in the crew's quarters?"

Emma blinked slowly, trying to take in these pieces of information. "He sent Aurora away to tell my parents he'd kidnapped me."

Tink made a raspberry sound with her mouth and swayed on her feet, "He's not ransoming you, Emma. I mean, maybe he will at some point, but right now you're collateral to protect the ship while he does whatever it is he needs to do. If anything happens he's got you to protect him. Aurora on the other hand, well, he only needed one of you and any other monster pirate captain would have brought her along as a treat to his crew." Her mouth twisted in disgust, "But Killian would never let that happen. And he won't let it happen to you either."

 _"Killian?"_ Emma parroted back, looking unconvinced. Instead of addressing the fact that she may be in danger of rape her mind tripped back to the other piece of information Tink had revealed."How... How did his brother die?"

Tink waved her off and moved towards the door. "That's none of your business, princess," she offered Emma a wink over her shoulder before leaving the cabin and closing the door behind her. The ship rolled and she had to lean against the door to not fall like a disgraceful drunk, her mind playing over her long conversation with the princess.

Emma was annoyingly likeable - just like her mother - but she didn't have magic aside from being able to communicate somewhat with animals. Not magic like Regina. She may have been a nice girl who wanted to take Tink home to her castle but that was not Tink's mission, and unfortunately for the princess and for her own conscience, having Queen Ariel and King Eric whisk them back to Snow White and Prince Charming would not get Tink her wings back.

Trying to acquire some sobriety she began her search for Killian - he would probably be even more drunk by now but she was drunk too so it would be easier to talk to him. As expected he was at the helm, leaning against the ship's wheel and brooding miserably, blue eyes glassy and black hair more mussed than usual. He'd exchanged his flask for a half empty bottle of rum which he took messy sips from while holding onto the wheel for support.

"What do you want, fairy." He snapped at her

Tink steeled herself and crossed her arms, trying not to feel terrible about betraying Emma's trust. "I know what was in the note the princess got from her mother."

* * *

Killian's thoughts sloshed between Milah and Bae to Pan and the Dark One over to the beautiful princess chained up in his cabin with her gown all torn and her eyes all angry. He'd made his way through nearly another half a bottle rum since Tink had left him to his thoughts, and he really didn't appreciate her putting it into his head that Milah would not approve of kidnapping princes and princesses as a means to avenge her. He pined for Milah, thought about her every day and every night as if her memory was a flame keeping him going through the long years of darkness. The only reprieve had been those few weeks with Bae before he'd decided he hated Killian for destroying his family. It had only made him want his vengeance more, made him more ruthless and focused.

But now, now he was unsure of his path to vengeance for the first time in years. Perhaps it was because he was closer than ever before. The Dark One's heart could be his if he did as Pan asked and kidnapped that prince for him. It was a simple and straightforward means to an end, a mission for a pirate captain with a reputation for brutality... but what of his honor? Did he shed his honor in exchange for revenge, yet another payment in his quest to avenge Milah?

Now his thoughts turned to the furious blonde princess he'd kidnapped and assaulted. He'd watched her speak to the bird, then cup the thing in her hands as if it were precious, the note an afterthought, and cut herself on the window she'd broken to free it. He was sure, sure beyond a reasonable doubt the note was from her mother and there was some sort of secret afoot that would be his undoing. It rattled him. Made him reach for another long sip of rum. Infuriated him that of all the people in all the realms it was a willowy blonde princess that could potentially best him.

So he'd shoved her down on the bed while she spat at him about having his head on a spike, which annoyingly did more to abait rather than encourage his wrath. He needed her to fear him and brought his hook to her throat, the threat that he would rip her open implicit. Her chest had heaved under his palm as she seethed and he could just about feel the outline of her small breasts beneath the stiff bones of her corset, so he forced his mind to the moment of Milah's death rather than on her heaving chest and threatened her some more.

But even still there was no fear in those green eyes, just rage and triumph and she refused to look away.

It would be a better call to hang her from the mainsail and be done with it. They would find the Caledonian King's ship after rounding the Cape of White Isles, then kill the lot of them aside from one of those triplet princes. Pan's shadow would take them back to Neverland and Pan would arrive on deck looking pleased with himself as he always did, he would take the prince and enchant Killian's hook so he could rip the Dark One's heart out as he had done to Milah so many decades ago.

To hell with this princess and the protection she inadvertently gave his ship. To hell with having a hostage in the first place - how much influence could her presence possibly have over some naval vessel of the Enchanted Forest they might encounter on their journey.

As the plan came together in his mind, Killian felt more at ease, less troubled. He leaned on the helm to steady himself and imagined the princess hanging lifeless from a noose high above him in the black sails, silk slippers dangling.

Tink appeared on deck, swinging drunkenly and watching him with a grimace on her face.

"What do you want, fairy." He snapped at her, in no mood for more guilt from a fairy without wings.

She swallowed and crossed her arms, appearing to sober slightly before she met his eyes. "I know what was in the note the princess got from her mother."

Killian's eyebrows shot up, taken aback by this information "And what might that be." he managed to say.

Tink looked uncomfortable. He didn't know what she was even doing on the ship in the first place, she was keeping that close to her chest. At last she came closer to Killian and began to speak steadily, her accent thick with rum. "It was from her mother, Queen Snow. The other princess, Aurora, she told them we're heading east so they're having her godparents - Queen Ariel and King Eric - form a blockade that apparently," she made a fluttering gesture with her hand, "An entire armada would not be able to get through, let alone one pirate ship."

Killian instantly felt himself sober up. Ariel and Eric ruled a huge maritime kingdom and had a massive armada at their disposal. The biggest in the Enchanted Forest. And King Eric's sailors were good, strong, hard working, well-trained and well-disciplined men with honor who would fight until the bitter end. He had encountered them many time over the centuries as a pirate and as a friendly naval officer; during Eric's reign as well as his father, grandfather and great-grandfather before him. If his sailors were planning on saving Princess Emma they were going to fight to the death to win her back, and there was a very good chance that if the Jolly encountered this armada, it would not make it through.

And he would not find the Caledonian Prince for Pan, nor would he get his revenge on the Dark One.

With a roar of fury Killian threw the nearly empty bottle of rum at the deck and it shattered into a hundred satisfying pieces.

"Killian!" Tink frowned at him. "That isn't helpful."

He ran his hand over his jaw, more agitated than he could remember being. His skin pricked with irritation directed solely at the girl below deck who was _meant_ to aid him in this damned mission. She was _not_ to be his undoing. "Bloody hell," he snarled. "So she's letting us walk into a trap."

Tink spread her hands wide, trying to keep him calm. "We could go around them?"

Killian wanted to shake the fairy and only just stopped himself from grabbing her shoulders, settling for yelling at her instead. "Do you have the slightest idea how bloody large Eric's armada is? Thousands of ships, Tink, thousands!"

"Maybe you should have thought about that before you kidnapped his goddaughter!" She shouted back. "They won't blow up the ship with her on it but they certainly won't let you go anywhere fast."

"I bloody well know that," he glared at the fairy and tried to clear his mind to come up with something resembling a plan. Hanging the princess was no longer an option - even if it hadn't been one he was truly committed to - if worse came to worst with her on the ship it wouldn't be blown up and he'd have something to trade. But going east was no longer an option and sooner rather than later the south coast they currently were following would be over run with Eric's armada. They had to turn around immediately.

But what about the prince? The goddamned prince. The key to killing the Dark One.

Fury consumed him once more and he stabbed his hook into the helm, ripping it loose from the splintered wood and stabbing it again. Tink was shouting at him to stop but he continued to mutilate the helm before shouting for all hands on deck, raising the alarm that they needed to turn the hell around or face the greatest navy in the realm. Tink was still shouting at him about acting crazy; he blindly shoved her away, threatening to throw her in the brig if she didn't shut up and get out of his way.

It was nearly the middle of the night but the pirates of the Jolly Rodger could hear the rage in their captain's voice and didn't hesitate in getting the ship turned around. They were all scurrying about madly, adjusting their heading and climbing into the rigging. Tink sat sullenly on a barrel watching Killian and he couldn't take being above deck anymore so he fled below, letting his hatred for the Dark One blend in his belly with his frustration at the damned princess for getting in his way until he was so drunk with rage he was nearly surprised to find himself outside his own quarters where she was locked up inside.

Without thinking or knowing what he planned to do, Killian threw the door open and was surprised to not only find the lamps lit, but the princess on her feet reaching for one of the books above his desk. Her mouth opened in surprise but as per usual, there was no fear, even when he must have looked half mad with rage and rum. Part of him expected her to cower but by now he knew she would turn to face him, unafraid. Weaponless, she planted her feet and put her fists up as if they were going to box.

"Oh, princess," he snarled, stalking towards her. "I think not."

She pressed her mouth in a determined line and readied herself, fists swinging despite the fact that she was barefoot, injured and wearing nothing but a corset and what remained of her gown, her right leg exposed to the hip where her puffy lace drawers looked ridiculous next to the fierceness of her stance.

But it mattered very little how brave she was when Killian's fist closed over her throat and he hauled her up against the desk, squeezing and glaring at her as she punched his chest. "I hear friends of yours are waiting for us nearby." He squeezed again and she opened and closed her mouth wordlessly, hands now clawing at his fist. He leaned in close, pressing her against the desk with his hips and placed his mouth close to her ear, voice shaking. "I don't know if you can tell, sweet princess, but the ship has turned around, so you will be with us a bit longer than you planned." She continued to gasp and claw. "Sorry about - "

He was cut off when she kneed him hard in the groin, sending sparks of pain through his stomach and making him gasp and swear loudly as she staggered back against the desk and took deep breaths. Regaining himself, Killian went to grab her again but she dodged past him, making for the closed door. His hook caught in the laces of her gown and corset, only just missing her actual flesh and she tripped, falling to her knees. With a frustrated cry, she tried to kick him in the face but Killian caught her leg from behind and fell on top of her, at which point they began to wrestle messily on the floor, kicking and hitting each other where they could.

The princess managed to get the upper hand, her legs locked around his waist, she got him on his back and head butted him, quickly moving to sit on his chest. Killian saw stars, his vision blurring and he heard the sound of his own cutlass being drawn from its sheath which quickly brought him back to the present. He grabbed her thigh, hauling it over his shoulder so she lost her balance and with his hook he batted the cutlass out of her hands and across the floor.

She fell off him onto her back, green eyes bright with fire as Killian clambered on top of her, pushing her shoulders into the floor, his knees trapping her kicking legs. She continued to struggle and he pressed her shoulders firmly to the ground until there was a harsh ripping sound and her head finally fell back, eyes rolling in pain as the corset gave up and tore straight down the back.

"Perhaps," he brought his hook up to her face, the tip gently nudging her cheek while she attempted to recover and catch her breath. Killian tried very hard to ignore her breasts, no longer strapped down to make her look like a child, heaving against him in the ruined gown. Something deep within him that told him it wasn't _proper_ or _honorable_ to be sitting on a half naked girl who didn't want to be there but he shoved that thought further down and held his hook to her eye. "Perhaps a princess with one eye will be better behaved."

"I will not!" She cried out savagely, her hair was a golden matted mass that gleamed in the lamp light and she raged at him. "You can take both my eyes, you can take my tongue, you can take my heart and crush it in front of me but I REFUSE TO BEHAVE!"

At her words Killian felt his stomach drop, his mind reeled and he immediately released her shoulders, feeling startled and sick. _You can take my heart and crush it in front of me,_ it echoed through his mind and sucked all anger directed at her right out of him like a vacuum. He sat back on his heels and she scrambled out from under him, holding what was left of her dress together. The sickness was unbearable and all Killian could do was look at her blankly, wanting to apologize and beg for forgiveness as if she were Milah incarnate and hating himself for it at the same time.

He ran a hand through his hair and averted his eyes from the princess who was watching him wearily from where she crouched in the corner, ready to fight if she had to.

Killian stood, picked up his cutlass, and left her there.

* * *

 **A/N: Please leave me reviews so other people will think, "Hmm, lots of people reviewed this. IT MUST BE GOOD."**

 **Thanks for all the favs and follows. Warms my black heart.**


	4. This Bestial Burden

**A/N: Well, the rating has finally gone up to M as promised - just a tiny look at what's to come.**

 **ENJOY.**

* * *

 _Chapter 3: This Bestial Burden_

The crystal ball showed Princess Aurora pacing in her chambers at Queen Snow and King David's castle, agitated and talking to herself. Occasionally she would stop and sit on the bed, where she took a candle in her hands and reverently held her palm over the wick with her eyes squeezed shut and her lips pinched together. After a few minutes of this she would put the candle down and resume her pacing.

Purple smoke filled the crystal ball and the image changed to Princess Emma in a torn gown and covered in bruises, pacing Hook's quarters on the Jolly Rodger. She flung papers across the room and tore books from the bookshelf in a rage, every now and then taking a long drink from a bottle of rum before she returned to wreaking destruction on the cabin.

Rumpelstiltskin set aside the crystal ball and pursed his lips, dissatisfied by what he had seen. Neither girl seemed to be showing much promise for becoming the High Queen prophesied to save the realm, but he knew that was to be expected. He had foreseen it. Hence the lengths he was going to to ensure one of the two princesses would eventually need to embrace her power and save the Enchanted Forest from the army of heartless humans at his and Cora's disposal. His vault was throbbing with the beat of the thousands of hearts he had collected from the people of the Northern Kingdom. It would have been ideal to have the Queen and her family under his control but they had escaped to King Midas's heavily fortified castle in the Midlands.

Cora had been very displeased about loosing the Queen of the Northern Kingdom, and her displeasure pleased Rumple greatly. Swings and roundabouts, he supposed.

Cora. That she actually thought she was the prophesied High Queen, The Savior, was laughable. Her narcissism knew no bounds.

Rumple fingered the beige shawl folded in his lap. He had been patient for centuries, he would have to be patient with Cora only a little longer.

The High Queen was not just prophesied to save the Enchanted Forest.

She would also reunite him with Bae.

* * *

Emma woke to the sound of gentle knocking and a course accent calling, "Yer Majesty, might I come in and tend to ye?" through the captain's cabin door. By the position of the sun in the sky it looked to be afternoon, if not later - not especially surprising seen as she had spent the entire night raging and tearing apart the captain's quarters looking for a weapon, rum, blackmail, anything at all that may have made her feel better about her messy altercation with Captain Hook. She had fought so hard and yet there had been no point other than to prove she was not a coward. They were miles out to sea, the coast no longer in sight and the ship headed away from her Auntie Ariel's aid.

And that damned Tinkerbell had thoroughly betrayed her.

It bothered Emma that she hadn't even won the fight with Hook fairly. How suddenly Hook's face went from cruel and smirking, intending to hurt and dominate to pale with shock and sickness. One minute pressing himself against her dangerously, her body trapped between his and the cabin floor - the next moment he was pulling away as if she'd burned him. Then left her huddled on the floor of the cabin, half naked and high on adrenaline, completely furious that he would leave so soon with so little resolved. So she'd ripped the cabin apart in a search for something helpful then haphazardly put everything back together when the adrenaline subsided she realized nothing good could come of throwing books and old clothes about the room like a toddler.

Sometime around daybreak she'd run out of steam and collapsed on Hook's bed, at least grateful she was no longer chained down. But now, waking in the afternoon, Emma's body was sore in a way that reminded her of practicing swordplay against some of her father's bigger knights. The muscles in her thighs and arms ached painfully and her spine was raw from where her corset and dress had ripped straight open while Hook sitting on top of her, forcing her flat on the floor. Bruises courtesy of Captain Hook dotted her thighs, arms, shoulders and she could only imagine what her throat must look like after he'd nearly strangled her to death.

She'd never been manhandled like that before. She'd never even been that close to a man before, let alone half naked. She was still furious about being attacked but also annoyed at herself for not being _more_ angry about being touched all over by a strange, dangerous man. Her mother had warned her about such things - being touched by a man against her will. Waiting for the right person to take her to bed when she was ready - ideally a husband - but Snow was no prude and realistic about the facts of life.

Emma ran her hand over her thigh where Hook had hauled her leg over his shoulder to stop her running him through with his own sword. Finger print shaped bruises now marred the white skin where he'd touched her just below her drawers. She supposed maybe it wasn't bothering her so much because she had touched him as well.

Why was she thinking about their fight in terms of touching? It had been strangling, punching, kicking, wrestling, struggling - not the sort of touching her mother had told her about. She shook her head to clear the weird and errant thoughts.

"Yer Majesty, you awake in there miss?"

Emma looked down at herself - before sleeping she'd shucked her destroyed gown and corset along with her dirty stockings and managed to wrap the bedding about herself in the manner of a toga as she'd seen a woman from a far Eastern realm don at court once. It felt wrong to have her shoulders and knees bare but it would do for now.

The voice outside the cabin persisted, "Really, yer Majesty I'm not gonna hurt ye."

Emma closed her eyes, breathing slowly through her nose. She had two options as she saw it. She could continue to cower petulantly in the captain's quarters, angry and alone, playing the victim with no allies now that outside help was less likely than ever. Or, she could begin to build alliances on the ship she now realized she was destined to remain on for at least a bit longer. So long as she employed diplomacy rather than the drunken trust as she had allowed with the deceitful fairy the previous night, she would be in a much better position.

Resolved in her choice, Emma sat up on the bunk, her spine straight as a rod despite her aching muscles, and crossed her ankles beneath the makeshift toga, folding her hands in her lap demurely. She rolled her head from left to right a few times, working out the kinks and then sat straighter still, bruised shoulders square and chin raised regally.

"Come in," Emma called coldly to the closed cabin door.

After a moment of silence she heard keys jangling on the other side of the door, the lock clicking open and the older pirate sporting an eye patch who had helped abduct her from Aurora's ship slipped into the cabin hesitantly.

She eyed him up from head to toe - Hook had called him Old Bill - he was perhaps 60 or so. His shirt open wide enough for her to see a thin chest, tanned and covered in wiry gray hair that showed his age. The missing eye gave him a rather sinister appearance despite the way he now shifted uncomfortably before her, a bundle of fabric under his arm.

Emma watched him silently, her chin held high, her mouth a thin line and she knew the effect it had: royalty displeased. Old Bill suddenly bent at the waist in an awkward imitation of a courtly bow, "Yer Majesty," he said again, this time sounding confused.

Emma could feel the iciness melt from her expression and she offered Old Bill a small smile to make him more comfortable. "It's Your Highness," she said. "When I am queen you may call me Your Majesty." She made a face indicating she thought this was a bit ridiculous.

"Sounds awfully complicated, Yer Highness," Old Bill puffed up now that he realized she wasn't going to attack him as he'd likely been warned she would. Not that he needed reminding after their fight on Aurora's ship. "Though I imagine ye must be pleased you'll be queen one day."

Emma shrugged, "Most of it is dull and boring... but," she met his one eye meaningfully, hoping to find her first alliance in the pirate who first kidnapped her. "But if that's what I must suffer so I can give my people peaceful and prosperous lives than I suffer gladly."

"That's awful sweet of ya," he said, coming to sit next to Emma on the bunk. Once again she found herself bristling at the lack of propriety but he didn't know any better and he was looking at her with pity now. "Suffering an awful lot there, miss, from the looks of it." He gestured to her neck, where Emma assumed there was a bruise the shape and size of Hook's hand. "Captain's none too happy with you, highness."

Emma nodded solemnly, and continued to channel her parents' diplomacy. "I regret what happened between the captain and I. We both had quite a lot of rum and, well, it must not be easy to find out you're headed straight for the biggest armada in the known world." She paused and went in for the kill, "I know there is quite a lot of money on the line for all of you in my ransom but surely you can understand how desperately I want to get back to my family."

Old Bill looked at Emma long and hard, first suspicious and then at last he sighed, shaking his head. "Right, yer highness. I've been sent to tend to ye since captain reckons you may kill the fairy if she comes in here and he trusts me not to take advantage of ye." He glanced down at her bedding-dress. "Seems you've met some of the ladies from Troy in yer time."

"You've been to Troy?" Emma asked, immediately surprised and intrigued at the prospect of hearing more about the distant land.

"Aye," Old Bill gave her a tired smile and produced a bundle of clothes from under his arm. "Clever of ye, but it's hardly garb for a ship. I reckon some of the smaller lads' clothes may fit ye. It ain't exactly royal finery and I dunno how you feel about wearing trousers..."

He produced a pair of dark blue linen trousers and a large white cotton shirt. "Yer only a little thing so they may still be too big for ye."

Emma sighed happily, examining the clothes. The bright side to being kidnapped: no corsets or panniers or hours of sitting while hand maidens pulled at her hair.

"They're perfect. Thank you so much, Bill." Emma covered his hand with hers and gave him a genuine smile.

She was sure she saw the old pirate blush.

"Are ye hungry, highness?"

"I am actually," she said with another bright smile that seemed to soften Old Bill up further.

He left her to fetch food from the galley and Emma took advantage of the privacy, unwinding the toga so she stood naked aside from her frilly bloomers. They wouldn't fit under the men's clothes so she chucked them aside with the other ruined clothes and pulled on the men's trousers. They were just slightly too large and hung low on her hips so she set to work tearing her gown into more useful pieces. A belt to hold the trousers up and enough silk to bind her breasts down under the billowing white shirt to protect her modesty. The slippers with silver buckles were still in relatively good shape so she slipped them on as well.

Emma ran a hand over her matted hair and briefly considered asking Bill to cut it off for her, but she was quite attached to her golden curls so she tore another strip from the gown and tied her hair in a bow over her shoulder.

Old Bill returned with a plate of stale bread, dried fish and hard cheeses - the usual pirate ship fare as far as Emma could tell - but she gave Old Bill a magnanimous smile and asked him to join her for lunch which he agreed to hesitantly. As they ate they chatted about how the pirates fared for food and water without making for land very often she decided she actually quite liked the old sea dog - aside from dedicating his life to dishonesty, murdering, kidnapping and thieving, of course.

"So Bill, where are you from?" Emma asked, trying to chew through a piece of stale bread with little luck.

"Yer kingdom as it happens, highness. But a very long time ago. The crew - we're all a bit older than we look," he chuckled to himself. "That's what happens in Neverland."

"I know of Neverland," Emma's mouth twisted in distaste, "I've heard the stories, anyway."

"Aye, they're all true likely or not." Old Bill said sadly, "Though I can't complain, going back and forth from that demon's land has given me more lives than I could hope for. More than I need, that's for sure."

Emma cocked her head to the side, confused.

"Ye don't age in Neverland, ye see," Bill explained, "The magic of that realm is... well, lets just say I would follow the captain into the depths of hell but I won't be going back to Neverland if that's where he decides to take the Jolly next."

"Really," Emma said thoughtfully, biting her lip. "How long were you there?"

He let out a long breath, and shook his head, "Must've been at least... two hundred or so years on and off," at Emma's shocked expression he laughed. "Aye, sounds mad when ye say it out loud. But the captain never wanted to stay in this realm for long so we'd do our business here or there and return. He has his reasons."

"You all seem to trust him..."

"Damn right, we do," Old Bill declared fiercely, suddenly inflamed with purpose. "I've know the captain since he was a lad, since before his late brother was even captain and there's not a man alive I'd follow but him. With good reason too."

Emma's curiosity was peaked, she glanced sideways at the old pirate and slyly asked, "How did his brother die?"

"Dreamshade," Old Bill said slowly, his one eye watching the door warily like he knew he was spilling secrets that weren't for her ears. "Poison from Neverland. The King sent us to retrieve it, said it was a cure but it was a vile weapon that killed poor Captain Jones and left Killian in a right state. That's when we turned pirate, ye see."

"Turned... turned pirate." Emma repeated dumbly. "You weren't always pirates?"

Old Bill frowned at her, "Ye ask a lot of questions, highness."

Emma tried to use her sweet beaming smile again but it didn't seem to have the same softening affect it had before so she aimed for honesty instead. "I just want to know what I'm up against," she admitted, "I've tried fighting but I just want to go home. The captain seems... troubled. Lost. I don't know what it is, but I don't want to get on his bad side again," she added for effect, gesturing to the bruises at her throat. She wouldn't say it out loud in front of Bill but there was no doubt in her mind if she and Hook were to get in a similar scrape again she would survive and maybe take his other hand if she got the chance.

"Aye, ye seem a sweet lass who's had a bad thing happen. Much like the captain his'self." Old Bill conceded, "The Jolly was a Royal Navy ship before we turned pirate. The King - yer great-great-great-great-something-grandfather probably - sent us to that infernal realm and got Liam killed with that damned poison. That's when the Jewel of the Realm became the Jolly Rodger."

"Royal Navy," Emma parroted back at Bill, unable to comprehend this one-eyed old man, let alone the black leather and kohl-eyed Captain Hook, wearing those gold brocade jackets and ridiculous hats the officers in her parents' Navy were required to wear. The very same outfits she and Aurora had been sniggering over before this whole mess began.

"Aye, highness. Hard to believe, innit?" Old Bill smirked crookedly, "But that's the captain for ye. There's honor among thieves, ye see."

Emma refrained from pointing out every obvious flaw in this logic, not to mention the captain's complete and utter lack of honor as clearly displayed by the bruising on her neck, and instead settled for nodding thoughtfully.

Her mind was now spinning a new tale in her quest to find out what revenge Hook was after. Hundreds of years spent pirating and seeking revenge. Revenge on the king that had wronged his family... The king her own father was legally, although not biologically, decedent from. Could this be why she had been plucked from her ship? Some convoluted plot to achieve vengeance on her kingdom some two centuries late? But then what of Merida? What of Rumpelstiltskin? What of...

"Dreamshade," Emma spoke slowly, thinking back to the night before and the way her words had sent Hook into a tail spin. "Does it kill you by removing your heart and crushing it?"

Old Bill's face hardened, almost as if he were trying to conceal some strong, vulnerable emotion from her and he shook his head. "No princess, it sure don't. But there are other demons out there. Demons who'll do just that." He stood abruptly, looking upset and uncomfortable. "Been a pleasure, yer highness but I must get back to me duties."

"Wait!" Emma grabbed Old Bill's hand desperately, searching his face. "Please tell the captain I need to speak with him... that I want to call a truce and discuss our situation."

The old pirate regarded her for a long moment then gave her hand a squeeze. "Alright, highness. But you stop getting yourself all bruised up now, ye hear me?"

Once Old Bill had left, Emma lay back down on the bed and folded her hands over her stomach, mind whirring as she recalled the politics of her kingdom some two hundred years earlier but nothing clicked with the story of a king sending the Royal Navy to another realm in search of poison. Her adopted grandfather King George had been a greedy bastard who bankrupted the kingdom and left the peasants in poverty so it wasn't hard to imagine a forefather who would send officers to almost certain death.

She knew there was something else to the story of Captain Hook and she was determined to find out what it was. Her fate depended on it.

* * *

A few days into their journey to the coast and Merida was absolutely certain something odd was going on with the retinue of clansmen escorting her family to King Charming's castle. It was a joy to be able to ride her own horse in comparison to sitting in the hulking litter - which was still being dragging behind them and slowing their progress - but Merida couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. What exactly that was, she couldn't be sure, but as she watched one of their maids help her mother onto her horse Merida didn't fail to notice the woman's eyes were glassy and she moved awkwardly, almost like a marionette on strings.

Merida nudged her horse forward so she could ride alongside her mother. "Mum, have you noticed anything odd with the clansmen?"

Elinor raised an eyebrow and smiled, "It's only another week and a half to King Charming's castle. Aren't you looking forward to seeing Emma?"

"I'm _serious,_ mum," Merida insisted in a low voice. "They all look drunk or like they can't move properly."

"All right, my love," Elinor conceded, and reached out to pat Merida's hand affectionately. "I'll keep my eyes open for any strangeness among the clansmen."

"Thank you," Merida sighed, not feeling much better but at least she hadn't gotten the complete brush off.

Elinor looked sideways at her daughter, seeing that she was still troubled. "Are you looking forward to seeing Princess Emma?"

"Aye," Merida grinned, her spirits lifting at the thought of seeing her friend who was so much like herself. "Emma said King Charming will host a tourney for us and she and I can enter."

The queen looked scandalized, "Princesses entering a tourney? We'd never have such a thing in my day but I suppose the southern kingdoms do things differently."

"I reckon I'll have to wear a corset," Merida grumbled darkly. "Emma has to wear one _every day_."

Elinor hummed thoughtfully, "Well at least they do some things right in the south. And perhaps..." She glanced at Merida and smirked. "Perhaps you'll meet some nice southern prince."

 _"Mum!"_ They'd been over this so many times Merida was on the verge of swearing off marriage entirely. When she had been sixteen the idea of marrying one of the three suitors sent to her had been impossible to comprehend. Now at twenty-two she had kissed a few boys and read a few books and noticed the way her parents loved each other and she had finally conceded to her mother that _perhaps_ it would be nice to be in love with someone and _perhaps_ marry them.

When Emma came to visit a few years earlier Merida had been surprised that a girl as independent and stubborn and strong as Emma thought of betrothal as a necessary evil she'd eventually have to deal with but was otherwise unphased by it. She had explained that she wanted to keep peace and prosperity alive in her kingdom so she would take a husband when the time was right, but hoped she fell in love with him first.

"Oh fine," Elinor giggled. "Perhaps some nice southern stable boy or a baker. Is that what you want to hear, my love?"

Merida rolled her eyes, "I've got to make water," she lied, wanting to escape the marriage conversation and nudging her horse in the direction of the treeline.

What she'd seen of The Western Kingdom so far was beautiful - lush forests thick with Cedars and Oak trees. They'd spotted a heard of uniorns the day before which Merida's brothers pretended to be unimpressed by. It was different magic down here, that was for sure.

She was in the mood to wander alone through the forest with her thoughts but Merida knew she couldn't stray to far from her party, so she tied her horse to a sapling and found a fallen tree to sit on while she brooded over all the wrong feelings coursing through her.

"Something the matter, dearie?" A strange high pitched voice asked conversationally from behind her.

Merida yelped and got quickly to her feet, her bow drawn within an instant. "Who are you!" She demanded of the man who had snuck up on her - if he could be called a man. His skin was grey-green and glittering dully in the sunlight, his shining amber and his teeth and nails rotted and brown like a corpse. He was smirking knowingly at her, an eyebrow raised as if daring her to launch an arrow at him.

"Who are you!" She said again.

This time he squealed and clapped his hands before bowing theatrically, "I am Rumpelstiltskin, at your service Princess Merida."

Merida's jaw clenched and she notched an arrow, "How do you know my name."

"Ohhh I know a lot of things, dearie. Things you'd be very interested to know about I imagine." Rumpelstiltskin hopped up on the log she had vacated and he pointed one long finger straight up in the air and grinned at her. "Your father is King Fergus of Caledonia and you are are his unmarried heir, the future Warrior Queen Merida." He hopped off the log coming closer still. "Doesn't have a bad ring to it, does it dearie."

She pulled her bow back, ready to strike this creature as he began to circle her like a predator.

"And you're all on your way to the beautiful Princess Emma's twenty-first birthday ball. Except..." Merida let an arrow fly and Rumpelstiltskin caught it deftly in his hand as if it were nothing. "Except I don't think Emma will be able make it due to the fact that she's presently kidnapped on a pirate ship."

Merida felt her mouth fall open and her eyes widen, "What!" She couldn't tell if this creature was lying or not.

"That's what I said!" Rumpelstiltskin giggled madly, throwing his arms up in the air. "So, I was hoping, dearie, that you and I could make a deal. I do something for you and rescue her for me."

Merida considered notching another arrow but it was clear that this creature had some sort of magic. She shook her head to clear it. "I don't understand, who _are_ you and why do you want me to save Emma?"

Rumpelstiltskin pouted dramatically, "You don't want to save poor Emma from the _dreaded_ pirate, Captain Hook?" He made a tisking sound. "And here I thought you two were friends."

"Stop," Merida held her hands up trying to gather her thoughts. "Why are you so interested in Emma being saved."

He looked her up and down appraisingly, "That, my dear, is my business. What you should be interested in is what I can do for you."

"I don't want anything from you," she said immediately. "You're a demon. The Blue Fairy warned us about you."

"Actually," Rumpelstiltskin cackled, seeming very amused by this comment. "No, dearie. She didn't. She warned you about the - what do you call them? Oh, the _Zombaidh_." He let out another peal of laughter. "You Caledonians certainly have a way with words."

"Aye, and we have a way with arrows too," Merida warned, reaching for another arrow but her hand closed around empty space, the quiver and her bow vanishing from her person and reappearing instantly in Rumpelstiltskin's hands.

"Demon!"

Rumpelstiltskin rolled his eyes, "I'm not the demon you need to worry about, dearie. It's that group of Zombaidh you're traveling with through the Evil Queen's kingdom that should concern you."

Merida found herself at a loss for words, something that very rarely happened to her. She wanted to ask how, why, when, but she didn't trust this Rumpelstiltskin or his magic one bit.

As if reading her mind (could he?) Rumpelstiltskin said, "I wouldn't expect you to trust me, dearie, but I have no reason to lie to you. And I'm sure you want to save your family from those heartless creatures you've managed to surround yourself with."

"Heartless?" She repeated, dumbly.

"Indeed," his smile turned nasty and Merida began backing up as he came towards her. "You see, they are alive but they have had their hearts ripped from their chests by an evil sorceress who now controls them." He vanished mid-stride and appeared inches from Merida's face. "Then she enchants them so that they can rip out hearts for her - _like this._ "

Rumpelstiltskin thrust his hand straight into Merida's chest and pain like she'd never experienced before coursed through her. He pulled out her heart, glowing red and crystalline in his palm and held it up to her face. "This is what happened to your clansmen," he explained happily while Merida gasped and pressed her hands to her breast as emptiness consumed her. "And it's what the sorceress will have your clansmen do to you and your family soon enough. _This-"_ He squeezed her heart and Merida moaned and fell to her knees. "Is what the Blue Fairy warned you about. Not. Me."

With the last word Rumpelstiltskin pushed the heart back into Merida's chest and she fell forward gasping, feelings coursing through her like a maelstrom. Love, hate, fear, courage - it came in a rush as her heart resumed beating in her chest and then was gone.

Merida sat back on her heels and looked up at Rumpelstiltskin, still somewhat in shock from the experience of having heart heart ripped out and shoved back in. She gathered her thoughts, thinking back to the deal she'd made with the witch and how disastrous that round of magic had been. She needed to be calm and collected, and to gather as much information from this Rumpelstiltskin while she could.

"Alright then," she said at length, her hand still pressed against her chest to feel the reassuring beat of her own heart. "Why haven't the Zombaidh taken our hearts yet. Why did the sorceress only have them take our clansmen?"

Rumpelstiltskin cocked his head to the side. "Because my dear, you and your family were still in that enchanted litter when you arrived in this kingdom and stumbled upon those those Zombaidh."

"Why didn't the clansmen get attacked when we were in the Northern Kingdom. That was where the Blue Fairy warned us they would be."

At this Rumpelstiltskin's face broke into a wicked smile showing off a mouthful of rotting teeth. "Because I control the hearts of the Northern Kingdom and I have no need of yours or your clansmen's hearts."

Merida clenched her fists, realization dawning on her. "You're the Dark One."

"Indeed I am, dearie."

"I was told not to make deals with The Dark One," she said savagely. "That you're a cruel and evil trickster."

Rumpelstiltskin pouted again and pretended to wipe tears from his cheeks. "Harsh, dearie. Very harsh. All I want is to protect you and your family and in return, you will save Emma for me."

She looked at him, thoroughly bewildered. "You want to protect us? How?"

"Protection spell," He said simply, "Hard to perform but no one will ever be able to take yours or your family's hearts from you."

"If you have all of this magic," she eyed him warily, "And you're the Dark One why do you need me to save Emma from pirates? Surely you can just appear on the ship and take her."

Rumpelstiltskin leaned back and looked at the sky, his face serene. "Ah, how i would like to pay Captain Hook a visit," he mused wistfully. "But unfortunately the sorceress cannot know that I wish to keep Princess Emma safe. The sorceress has her... own agenda for Emma. One I intend to block with your help." He grinned at her knowingly. "So, do we have a deal?"

Merida swallowed thickly, with this new knowledge she now knew she would need to save both her family and Emma, and Rumpelstiltskin was giving her a way to do it. It was a terrible idea to make a deal with the Dark One, terrible, but possibly the best and only chance she had.

"How do I find Emma?"

Rumpelstiltskin waved his hand and a large white globe appeared out of thin air. "This will tell us where she is, or at least give you a place to start looking. Now. Do we have a deal?"

"Yes," Merida said in a rush, "We have a deal."

* * *

The sun was beginning to sink below the horizon and Killian's head still hadn't quite recovered from his rum-fueled adventures the previous night. He stood at the helm, wishing he had a bed to sleep in rather than a hammock in the crew's quarters. The only reason the princess was in his cabin in the first place was so she wouldn't end up getting defiled on his ship. Stokes and a few of the others were more than likely to try something and think they'd get away with it. Better to suffer in a hammock than to have that on his conscience.

He hadn't seen Tink all day and he'd sent Old Bill to have a look at the princess - see how much damage he'd done and give her some new clothes since he'd left her practically naked the night before. The old pirate finally reappeared above deck with a dreamy half-smile on his face that quickly disappeared when he caught Killian watching him narrowly.

"Captain." He called, strolling to the helm and glancing briefly at the destruction Killian had inflicted with his hook during his drunken rage the night before.

"How is our dear princess," Killian's mouth twisted, "Looks like she didn't kill you."

"Aye," Old Bill agreed, "She didn't. She was in a much more agreeable mood today. Wants to talk to ye, actually."

Killian rolled his eyes, "Agreeable? That sounds out of bloody character."

"Ye beat her up something fierce, Captain," Old Bill continued blithely, "I reckon she's come to heel in her own... royal way. Can't be easy being a princess and having to surrender. Seems to me her highness's got a good head on her shoulders and she knows where she's at now."

"Really," Killian replied, disbelievingly. The idea of the princess coming to heel was unfathomable to him and if he was honest with himself, he found the notion rather disappointing. To see the fierceness go out of her eyes would be a sad thing indeed.

"Don't get me wrong, Killian." Old Bill using his given name usually meant he had something sage to say. "That lass has a fire in her that won't be put out. You best have a chat with her highness and work this out using yer words before you both end up dead." He gestured to Killian's chest where, beneath the silver pendants hanging from his neck, angry red scratches courtesy of the princess stood out in vicious stripes. Killian was also very well aware of the cut above his eyebrow from where she'd successfully headbutted him.

Sighing, Killian agreed, "Aye Bill, you're right." The idea of facing her made him deeply uncomfortable but it was the smart thing to do.

He found her sitting at his desk, reading one of Liam's books. Her old clothes were in the corner and she now wore men's trousers with a billowing white shirt, both were far too big for her slim frame and Killian tried very hard not to notice how much the billowing shirt exposed her torso, especially the white skin above and below the blue silk she'd bound her breasts with.

This was an entirely different princess than he was used to in the week or so that he'd known her. When she turned away from the book and met his gaze there wasn't her usual wrath but cool regard that sent a flicker of annoyance through Killian. She folded her hands delicately in her lap and raised her chin, watching with all the demeanor of a displeased queen on her throne rather than a prisoner sitting at his own bloody desk.

Although, he supposed one would never imagine a royal's white throat to sport blue and green bruises rather than diamonds.

"Hook," she said evenly, inclining her head towards him, acknowledging his presence in his own cabin.

For a split second Killian felt the urge to strangle her again course through him - this air she was putting on felt deeply condescending and was much more annoying than the furious girl-woman he'd become used to dealing with.

She was watching him knowingly so Killian sighed, and scrubbed a hand across his jaw. "You're not going to try to kill me, then?" he asked dryly, crossing the room to sit on the bunk across from her.

"No," the princess gave him a tight smile. "Not today."

"Old Bill says you wanted to speak to me." He kicked his feet up on the bunk, regarding her lazily. "How may I be of service, princess?"

The princess licked her pink lips, looking pensive before she spoke. "I believe we've been going about this... transaction the wrong way. I've been fighting you and trying to escape - although clearly," she gestured out the window at the vast expanse of sea. "There is no where to escape to. And furthermore I believe I know why you want revenge on my family."

This got Killian's attention. He sat up straight and turned to face her directly, trying to read her, but her face was a mask of indifference.

"Is that so, darling?"

She nodded. "Bill told me this ship used to be part of the Royal Navy but..." she saw his eyes narrow and seemed to choose her words delicately, "But you were betrayed by the king you served and turned pirate."

"Oh did he, now." Killian folded his arms, feeling a tightness in his chest. He had a inkling Bill had told her about Liam and wasn't sure how to feel about that. Peeved that the old pirate, who had been one of Liam's best friends was taking this princess's bait. All the "her highness" nonsense and telling her things she didn't need to know. He was also slightly concerned that she now had a weapon against him with this knowledge - he didn't have many weaknesses but Liam's memory was certainly one of them.

"And what makes you think that has anything to do with you, princess?"

"Because the king who betrayed you was my ancestor," she said simply and Killian was sure a knowing smirk flickered across her face before she composed her countenance into serene indifference once more, waiting for him to reply.

She wasn't wrong. Truth be told, he hadn't pieced those bits information together himself yet. Killian rarely allowed himself to think of the years before Liam's death. The Jolly had been his home for so long he no longer thought of the princess's kingdom as the place he was born, let alone the land he had served. That original betrayal and rage at a king he'd never even seen which had sent him into piracy in the first place was a distant memory compared to his hatred for the Crocodile.

Killian had long ago stopped being a the sort of pirate who stalked the king's ships along trade routes to raise mayhem. He had a deeper purpose now. A deeper revenge to square.

He realized he hadn't said anything for quite a while as he mulled this over, remembering burning that damned Pegasus sail and whipping the crew into a frenzy over the dishonorable king, now long dead. The princess was watching him curiously and he wondered how much his expression was giving away.

She was a clever princess but she was most certainly wrong about his motives. It was a very small victory for him.

"That's very astute of you, darling." Killian said at length, "Old Bill should learn to keep his mouth shut."

Her face crumpled immediately, eyes widening "Oh, please don't blame him. Please don't punish him." There was a note of panic in her voice, the indifferent demeanor disappearing in an instant.

Killian decided that this regal coolness she was employing was not her natural state. He also very much enjoyed her begging him.

"Why shouldn't I?" he allowed himself to smirk at her now that she felt she'd compromised Bill.

The princess fingered the locked at her throat, looking past him out the window. "There's... a secret no one knows outside of my family and our friends."

He laughed sharply. "A secret?" He repeated incredulously. "You're going to tell me a bloody secret? That's your plan?"

"Secrets can be deadly," she said quietly, frowning deeply at him. "You have no idea."

Killian rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Why don't you enlighten me, darling."

She was very serious now. "You know of the Evil Queen?"

When Killian only responded by raising an eyebrow she continued in a tight voice. "Then you know she is my mother's step-mother." Her hands were back in her lap, clasped together so tightly her fair hands went white, her gaze focused solely on the cabin floor, decidedly away from Killian.

He felt a spasm of sympathy for her that made him say, "Aye, I know your mother was on the run for years..." He clamped his mouth shut, not willing to give her any ammunition or even the vaguest notion that he wasn't capable of ripping out her throat.

The princess sighed and pushed her hands through her matted blonde hair, now tied as best as she could over her shoulder with a strip of silk from her old gown. It made her look sweet and young and very pretty.

"Regina - the Evil Queen - married my grandfather when my mother was only a child. But Regina was in love with another man and she confided this in my mother before the wedding." She looked pained and Killian wondered why she was so upset considering the Evil Queen was now rotting in her parents' dungeon.

She twisted her hands and continued. "My mother told Cora - Regina's mother, the sorceress now terrorizing the Enchanted Forest - about Regina's secret love and... Cora tore his heart out and crushed it. Regina blames my mother sharing this secret for her unhappiness and she is... was... no, is dedicated to destroying my mother."

Although Killian paid very little attention to the politics of the Enchanted Forest he had of course heard of the Evil Queen's vendetta against Snow White, and the princess's tale cleared up a few of the details that had never quite fit together. He stored this information away for future reference; presently it was useless.

"That sounds bloody awful for your mother, darling" he said flippantly. "But it seems to have all worked itself out. Now what's your point."

"My point," the princess's eyes narrowed to the more venomous stare he was used to and which he was happy to see returned. That cool regal act didn't suit her one bit, even if it made her vastly more agreeable to deal with. "Is that secrets can destroy lives. One secret can affect an entire realm."

He wanted to make her angry, get a rise out of her, but she was clearly about to confide something in him.

"Alright love, I'll bite." Killian leaned forward, licked his lips, and was incredibly pleased when he noticed her eyes follow the path of his tongue. He grinned lasciviously. "What's your secret, princess?"

She chewed her lower lip for a second and then composed herself into the cool, boring, annoying royal version of herself that must have been developed as some sort of diplomacy method she'd been taught at court. Killian deeply felt being her fiery self was a much better approach.

"I want you to know," she said slowly, meeting his eye. "That my father is not biologically related to the king who betrayed you."

He must have looked as deeply unimpressed by this information as he felt because she continued with more urgency. "King George made a deal with the Dark One so he would have an heir, Prince James, my father's twin brother. Prince James died young and my father, who was a simple shepherd, was forced to take his brother's place as prince and heir to the kingdom."

As she spoke Killian's interest continued to wane and he wished she was arguing with him instead of telling useless secrets. So Prince Charming or King David as he was now known was not biologically heir to his kingdom. Was that of any use to him? The people loved their King regardless of where he came from and Snow White's lineage could be traced back a thousand years. The princess had no information of use to him and it clearly showed on his face because she narrowed her eyes at him in that way he'd come to enjoy.

"You don't want revenge on my family," she said dully, resignation flashing in her eyes. "I really am only here to keep the ship from being blown to pieces."

Killian felt a self-satisfied smirk pull at his mouth, "Once again, very astute of you, princess."

She looked angry now, green eyes flashing, the cool royal airs gone as her temper flared and Killian briefly - very briefly - entertained the notion of possibly wrestling with her on the floor as they had the night before.

"Then what is it!" she shouted, getting to her feet. "What is it you want! My family made you turn pirate. I'm here for the sake of your ship. What is it you want. _WHAT IS IT, DAMN YOU!"_

Satisfaction drained out of Killian at her words. The truth was more than an explanation for his actions, it was a weapon more powerful than even Liam's memory. He would have his revenge on the Dark One for killing Milah and taking his hand. He had stayed alive for two centuries and had only just found the answer. The answer required him to inflict pain upon the princess's friends. Thus, she could not know.

Killian got to his feet and wordlessly made for the door, having decided this round with the princess was done. But she got quickly dodged in front of him, pressing her back to the door, blocking his exit.

"Hook," that pleading note was back in her voice. "Please tell me. _Please._ What do you intend to do with Merida? Is there any other way?"

He moaned in frustration but did not wish to physically push her out of the way. Seeing the bruises he had inflicted on her throat was a stark reminder of his bad form. How was he to claim to have a code if he did such things. Instead he faced her, arms crossed, again watching her watch him.

"Darling," he sighed. "You are a prisoner. Prisoners don't get information." He chortled briefly at the indignation in her face, "Prisoners _give_ information, love."

She looked at the floor for a long moment and he allowed it. Better to allow her to process the information than to have her kick him in the balls. Then, her eyes still on the floor she stepped away from the door towards him. Her gaze moved from the floor to his boots, then after a moment from his boots slowly up his body until she met his eyes and Killian squirmed under the intensity of it.

It was as if she were looking straight through him and he felt rooted to the spot when she took another step forward, eyes never leaving his. They weren't angry, they weren't cold, they were imploring and green like a tropical lagoon. Her hand came up to touch his arm in a show of solidarity. "What is it," the words whispered from her pink lips as she came closer still. "Tell me your secret, Hook," she murmured. Another step forward and she was mere inches away. "Who betrayed you, who _deserves_ your revenge."

Perhaps it was this last line. _Who deserves your revenge_. But Killian was suddenly reaching forward to touch the golden bunch of curls hanging over her shoulder - stopping at the very last minute and hoping she hadn't noticed. As if entranced, he whispered. "The Dark One, princess. I will destroy The Dark One."

* * *

It was late when Killian made his way to the crew's quarters in the belly of the ship. Sober for the first time in ages, he felt extremely conflicted. Somehow he was lighter than he could remember feeling in a very long time and yet annoyed at the princess still locked in his cabin, sleeping in his bed, suddenly being agreeable and in the last moments of their conversation compassionate and kind. More than likely she was intentionally manipulating him. He let his mind wander off the course it had been on for so long during the quiet moments before sleep claimed him, always focused on that moment when Milah hissed she never had loved the Crocodile and the demon had crushed her heart.

The crew were snoring away as Killian toed off his boots and shrugged out of his coat, mind now slipping between the princess's green eyes as she pleaded with him to tell her his secrets to Milah's last minutes on earth. His heart ached as he recalled precious moments with Milah in his cabin. The cabin now occupied by that damned princess.

Killian unlaced his trousers and flopped into the hammock, pulling his coat over himself as a makeshift blanket and shutting his eyes, now wishing he wasn't sober as sleep refused to come. This was most certainly a time for rum. Here he was brooding over the love of his life, dead for over two centuries, and the infuriating princess with her changes of heart, her regal charms, her fierce velvety green eyes and her distracting beauty... His cock twitched just thinking about her and guilt shot through Killian like an arrow when he found himself growing hard as a drunken memory from the night before surfaced. The princess glaring at him with all the wrath of a sea goddess as he pinned her to the floor, her small breasts heaving against him, golden hair a mess like a woman ravished, white shoulders bared as her gown slipped down her arms.

Killian quickly shoved this image of the princess to the very back of his mind as he unlaced his trousers the rest of the way and took himself in hand. He thought back to Milah being soft beneath his fingers with her full lips eager for him after so many years of being deprived by her coward of a husband. Precious memories of their lovemaking in his cabin on the very same bed where the princess slept now, wearing men's clothes without her underthings on which made it impossible not to notice the gentle curve of her waist through the white fabric of her shirt. A shirt which only required a few buttons to be undone for the princess's perfect breasts to be bare before him, her eyes staring up at him fierce with lust, biting pink lips that he could so easily kiss as she leaned into him.

Unbidden, his imagination conjured a vision of those lips wrapped around his cock while her green eyes devoured him, and Killian swallowed a groan as he came suddenly, unexpectedly hard at the unintentional fantasy. He quickly cleaned himself up stared blindly at the beams of the deck above him, not sure what he was feeling. Shock at how an errant thought of the princess's lips could send him over the edge so quickly combined with guilt for betraying Milah and yet further frustration at that damned princess in his bed.

He resolved not to speak to her again unless absolutely necessary. Old Bill didn't mind playing nurse maid, after all.

* * *

King Eric was at the helm of the aptly named _Monarch of the Seas_ when Ariel found him. He looked exhausted but determined as he doled out orders and kept an eye on the horizon.

"Anything yet?" Ariel asked, coming to her husband's side and linking her arm through his.

Eric shook his head. "No, we've been stopping every ship from here to Thomas's kingdom including two ships flying the crimson flag... but no sign of the Jolly Rodger or Emma."

When Ariel's face crumpled in despair Eric pulled her close, dropping a reassuring kiss on her forehead. "We'll find them, sweetheart. We will."

Ariel pulled back, her large blue eyes searching Eric's face. "What if we don't? You don't know Hook like I do, he's vile." She shivered at the thought of the one-handed pirate she'd encountered a number of times as a mermaid. "He's pure evil."

Eric laid a soothing hand on Ariel's cheek. "Emma is brave and strong. She will survive this. In fact," he offered his wife a small smile. "I wouldn't be surprised if she takes his other hand for this."

"I suppose," Ariel conceded, leaning against Eric's chest again.

He brushed his fingers through his wife's violently red hair. "It's only been a week. We've sent ships towards the Southern Isles and east to Agrabah. Hook won't escape us, Ariel. I promise."

She nodded, trying to believe him. "I need to see Snow. I can't imagine what she's going through."

Eric frowned, watching as Ariel began removing her simple gown. "Is that a good idea in your condition?"

Ariel beamed at Eric and her dress fell to the deck in a heap of velvet, revealing her frilly underthings and rounded belly. "Mermaids can still swim when they're pregnant." She told Eric with sly smile but he didn't look convinced so she kissed him quickly. "I'll be safe. I promise. I love you."

Eric nodded and watched his wife climb up on the ship's railing and kick her legs over the side. She turned back to him and said, "I love you" again before removing the jeweled cuff that gave her legs and slipping into the sea.

* * *

Another week at sea passed with Emma still locked in Hook's quarters, at first with only Old Bill to talk to. They'd become quite good friends, he now took all his meals with her and told her stories about Neverland and the demonic boy named Pan who ruled the island and whose shadow stole little boys from the middle of the night, turning them into what Bill called Lost Ones. Emma told him about the politics of the Enchanted Forest from the ogre wars, finally a thing of the past, to her family's war with the Evil Queen to take back the Western Kingdom.

"Bloody hell," he swore, "All because yer mum told a secret when she was a little lass?"

Emma nodded solemnly, "Regina's locked in the dungeons now and the Blue Fairy took her magic but I can't help think she won't stay there forever."

"An yer mum and dad won't hang her?"

She shook her head. "We don't execute criminals in our kingdom. My parents say that as leaders we should aim to foster peace and prosperity among the people of our land, not to kill those who have chosen the wrong path."

Bill smiled at her warmly, the crow's feet of his one good eye crinkling. "Ye'll be a mighty fine queen one day, highness. Perhaps I'll come live in yer kingdom to live out me days and ye can make me a knight."

Emma laughed, "How are you with horses?" She grinned, "I believe we need a new stable master."

During one of their meals while Emma was showing Bill a book of poetry she'd come across another crew member started banging on the door, interrupting their peaceful lunch.

"Oi! Old Bill! I know yer busy takin' tea and crumpets with the bloody princess," a voice dripping with youthful sarcasm called through the door. "But if ye can make some time to see to yer duties we'd be mighty appreciative ye scurvy bastard."

Bill rolled his eye and let the other pirate into the cabin, a young man probably only a few years older than Emma who wore a leather cap pulled down over his blonde hair.

He took in the table set with food and wine, his eyes widening. "Bloody hell, Bill!" He called after the old man's retreating back, "Ye gonna host a bloody coronation ball for the princess while yer at it!?"

Emma burst into laughter, drawing his attention back to her. "Would you like to join me?" She asked, pouring a glass of wine and offering it to him. The look on his face made her laugh again, bewildered repugnance as if she were an insane woman.

He huffed and sat down in Bill's chair, taking the wine from her and mumbling "Cheers" rather begrudgingly.

Emma got the feeling this pirate was one of those Hook had picked up over the years rather than a member of Liam's crew. According to Bill, those were the dangerous ones she should look out for as their loyalty didn't run as deep as the crew who'd known Hook as a naval officer.

"I'm Emma," she leaned back in her seat and took a sip of wine. "What's your name?"

"Doogle," he replied, clearly suspicious of her.

"Nice to meet you, Doogle"

He snorted, "Is this the part where I bow and kiss yer royal bloody hand?"

Emma raised an eyebrow. "This is the part where I start drinking," she said dryly.

That made him chortle and he raised his glass to her, "Aye, when's it not a good time for a drink."

"Cheers to that," Emma sighed and took a large swallow of wine. "I wish I could get some Dwarf Whisky."

"Ahh, that's the nice stuff," Doogle nodded sagely. "Used to get that back home in the Western Kingdom."

In Doogle, Emma found a drinking partner who was a natural born storyteller, regaling her with tales of the high seas and tavern brawls and nearly loosing a leg to a Lost One called Rufio in Neverland. After nearly finishing the bottle of wine Bill had found below deck yet another crew member came down and pounded on the door.

"Doogle! If yer fucking the princess in there the captain'll wear your guts for garters!"

Doogle had the good grace to look deeply offended on Emma's behalf at the vulgar suggestion of his crew mate but she just shrugged indifferently and downed the rest of her wine which seemed to impress him.

"Mate! Captain wants you!"

"Bloody hell," Doogle muttered and got to his feet. He tipped his cap to Emma and offered her a cheeky wink. "Been a pleasure, princess."

She grinned back, "Always good to have someone to drink with. Come see me again if you like, it's _bloody_ boring in here."

To Emma's surprise Doogle did return the next day for breakfast with her and Bill, teasing Emma about her royal status and telling stories Bill insisted couldn't possibly be true.

There was no sign of Hook all week even though she pestered Bill and Doogle to get him to come see her for another chat. Emma could only conclude he was avoiding her but she couldn't work out why. He seemed to relish making her angry, she thought back to how their relatively peaceful conversation seemed to bore him until she got angry and he'd given her that lascivious grin of his that made Emma feel like he wanted to eat her alive. Perhaps instead of insisting he come chat with her she should have Bill and Doogle tell him she was throwing a tantrum. Maybe then he'd come talk to her.

Despite making friends with Old Bill and Doogle they weren't willing to discus Hook, his past or his mission, that loyalty she'd heard so much about running deep in them both. When one or the other wasn't entertaining her, Emma spent her time going through the books over Hook's desk. Mostly star charts and nautical maps she couldn't understand, but there were also novels and dog eared books of poetry. Emma assumed they must have belonged to his brother Liam because she certainly could not imagine Hook being the type to enjoy poetry.

After nearly two weeks locked in his cabin with no idea where she was going or how long she would remain on the ship, Emma could feel herself beginning to go stir crazy. She'd run out of things to read when she didn't have company so she just lay on the bed trying to come up with a reason as to why Hook would want to kill the Dark One. Over the years Rumpelstiltskin had taken many lives, his darkness and trickery manifesting destruction and pain wherever he went. Clearly Rumple had wronged Hook somehow, Emma reasoned. Perhaps a deal gone wrong or someone Hook loved was taken from him by the darkness.

He couldn't possibly want to find the dagger and become the Dark One himself, could he?

She wondered if Hook realized that by turning pirate and seeking revenge he was condemning himself to his own darkness. There was depth to the pirate captain, layers and secrets she didn't fully understand but wished to. For the sake of getting back to her family and to satisfy her own curiosity about him she needed to understand. Perhaps it was because she had thus far lived a life full of light and hope and the dark despair that surrounded Hook intrigued her. Drew her to him.

After a round of afternoon drinking with Doogle - who was telling her about how he came to join the crew of the Jolly Rodger after years as a relatively unsuccessful thief in the Western Kingdom - Emma lay face down on Hook's bed, fingering the rough blanket and thinking how angry her father would be if he knew she was drinking rum with pirates and enjoying herself between these solitary moments of utter boredom. As she'd told Old Bill, they didn't execute criminals in her kingdom, but that didn't mean either of her parents were opposed to putting a sword or an arrow through a foe when absolutely necessary. She had a feeling her father really would consider putting Hook's head on a spike if he knew what had befallen Emma.

And even worse - worse of all was that her family didn't know what had happened to her. They could only assume the very worst - raped and tortured and mutilated by evil pirates. It hurt Emma's heart to think of her father worrying about her. He knew she could fight but she was still vastly outnumbered and unarmed in the middle of ocean.

Emma pushed herself off the bed and looked around for something to keep her occupied when she spotted a trunk under the desk with a heavy metal lock. Curiosity again peaked, and wondering what Captain Hook would keep locked up in a trunk under his desk, Emma retrieved her discarded and destroyed panniers from the corner of the cabin and set about bending the broken contraption until she had two straight pieces of wire to work with.

She sat on the floor in front of the trunk and started working the lock with the wires, listening for the tumblers to click as her resourceful mother had taught her. It took some time but at last the lock popped open and Emma released a quiet cry of triumph, tugging the trunk out from under the desk.

Emma had more or less expected treasure, gold coins and jewels and pearls, but instead she found herself looking at a collection of items that seemed potentially more precious than any treasure. First she noticed a drawing of a women, beautiful with curling black hair and a far away look in her eyes. Perhaps Hook's mother? His wife? His sister? His daughter even?

Then a small cutlass that looked to be more suited to a boy instead of a man. There were letters, yellowing in their envelops with curling ink fading from black to brown over the long years. She very nearly opened one to read it, see what she could find out about the mysterious captain Hook, but put it back at the last moment feeling it would be dishonorable to invade his privacy so thoroughly... even if he wouldn't think twice about invading hers. That was the difference between them, she reminded herself.

At the bottom of the trunk she found perhaps the most telling item of all: the uniform of a naval officer with the gold brocade of her kingdom. It was very old and slightly different in style to the uniforms the naval officers of her kingdom wore presently, but after all it had been sitting in this trunk for over two hundred years. She pulled the jacket out and examined the lapel; it held the insignia of a Lieutenant.

Emma pursed her lips, fingering the gold brocade of the uniform and imagined Hook wearing it, younger and more carefree before his brother had been killed. Somehow, with the uniform in front of her she was able to see it more clearly and the contents of this trunk made him seem a more tragic character than she had imagined previously. She knew he'd kidnapped her, assaulted her, threatened to kill her and was unkind to her, but as she ran her fingers over the Lieutenant insignia the tug of curiosity was stronger than ever before. How a person could go so far down such a dark path?

And then it came to her like a revelation. What she needed to do to save herself.

Emma packed and re-locked the trunk, sliding it back under the desk. She sat on the bed and waited patiently for Bill to bring her dinner and when at last he came to the door she shot across the room, determination burning in her stomach.

"I need to talk to the captain," she said in a rush to Bill before he had a chance to speak. "Tell him I have information about The Dark One."

* * *

 **A/N: WELL THAT WAS A LONG ONE WASN'T IT**

 **Thank you for all the favs and follows! You should leave me a review... i'm especially curious about how much smut people want to see. :D**

 **And also do people prefer long chapters like this? Or smaller bite sized pieces?**


	5. Seven Devils All Around Me

**A/N: Hope y'all enjoy this one.**

* * *

 _Chapter 4. Seven Devils All Around Me_

The dungeons of the Queen's Castle were dank, wet and filled with rats. The Heartless Ones would come with slop that supposedly counted as food twice a day; they were like drones, walking and breathing but not truly living while the sorceress held their hearts. Sleeping wasn't easy with raw angry burns along his arms, the uneven stones of his cell catching the wounds no matter how he positioned himself. But he was exhausted and the blackness claimed him readily after each round with Cora as she tried to get information out of him. He almost wished his heart hadn't been under a protection spell so he could be as mindless as a Heartless One - he had no information for her. He knew nothing of the magic of Caledonia or the protection spell on Midas's castle.

Cora held a flame to his arm now, cooing, "Tell me, Prince Philip. Why did you come here."

Philip gasped raggedly, watching flame melt the skin from his wrist until fat and muscle showed straight through until she pulled the flame away. After a few minutes breathing hard through his nose and trying to regain his senses Philip managed to bite out, "Snow White and Prince Charming retook the Western Kingdom."

"I think you mean the Evil Queen's Kingdom," Cora purred.

Philip looked up from the dungeon floor, glaring at her. "My mother heard as much. She sent me to find out if there was any worth to the stories."

Cora sneered, "Queen Marie. Hiding in Midas's golden castle like a coward." She scowled. "Does she intend to take my daughter's kingdom for herself?"

Philip pulled against his restraints, his bruised face contorting in disgust. "This is Snow White's kingdom, not the Evil Queen's. When Snow defeats you she can finally begin to repair the damage your daughter has done."

"How sweet," Cora sneered. "But so very wrong. You see Philip, there is a prophesy. I will become the High Queen of all the realm and save my daughter from her current... predicament."

"The High Queen?" Philip repeated, his face incredulous. "How could you possibly rule the entire realm."

"Have you not noticed my friends?" She smiled wickedly, "I control the hearts of three kingdoms - nearly four now that Midas is cowering in his castle. The King and Queen of Caledonia have left their land unattended and once you tell me how I may enter their kingdom I will take it as well."

"I told you," Philip gritted out. "I know nothing of the magic of Caledonia."

"Don't lie to me!" Cora's temper flared and a flame ignited in her palm. "Your father was born a prince of that kingdom! Why doesn't my magic work in that uncivilized land!"

"Perhaps because you are wicked and your heart is black," Philip spat at her. "The most ancient of magic is tied to the land and light."

With a huff of rage Cora threw the flame in her hand at Philip's chest, searing straight through his tunic until it reached flesh.

Philip howled in pain and his head lolled back, his body going limp as he slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

Old Bill had looked completely bewildered when Emma declared that she had new information about the Dark One for the captain. At first he didn't seem to think it would do much good, that the captain had declined her other invitations so how would this time be any different. But Emma insisted, and something about the way she pleaded with Bill must have impressed upon him how serious she was because he solemnly agreed to convince Hook to see her.

Emma spent the rest of the evening an anxious mess as she paced the cabin, practicing what she would say to Hook in her mind and then out loud before collapsing on the bed, praying for sleep to come.

But it didn't. Instead she thought of her parents worrying about her. And Eric's armada searching the seas for her. And all the royals of the Enchanted Forest arriving at the castle for her birthday ball where they were meant to be discussing the safety of the realm. Instead they would be putting their efforts into finding her so Cora and Rumpelstiltskin would have free reign over the north. She didn't even want to imagine what could have happened in the time she'd been trapped on the Jolly Rodger - Cora could have taken more kingdoms and more hearts in the last two weeks for all she knew.

Emma got very little sleep, tossing and turning and finally giving up when the sun began to rise, opting to brush out her hair with the comb Doogle had found for her in the hold the day before. She figured that ought to keep her occupied for a few hours at least considering the state of her hair.

At long last, sometime before midday, keys jangled outside the cabin door and Emma hopped to her feet, her hands clasped in front of her, half expecting it to be Bill to say he had failed. But instead, Hook swayed in with his eyebrows raised and his arms crossed, looking very much like she'd interrupted his very important life with her childish need for his attention.

"Morning, princess," he looked her up and down, running his tongue over his teeth thoughtfully. "How may i be of service?"

Emma had thought through the different ways she could play this. She thought about curtsying before him and playing the fair princess who needed the the dashing pirate's help. She thought about promising him riches and gold and pardons beyond his wildest dreams. She'd even - very briefly - considered waiting for him completely naked, offering to let him take her in exchange for taking her home.

The reasonable royal act didn't seem to do much other than bore him so Emma decided to be herself, just be Emma, and tell him the truth. And honestly, she believed the truth was what would appeal to him most of all if she was right about his desire for revenge on Rumpelstiltskin.

Emma cleared her throat. "Hello," she said awkwardly, gesturing politely to the desk chair for him to sit while she sat back down on the bed. "Thank you for coming to see me."

Hook pursed his lips and took the chair she'd indicated. He was watching her suspiciously and Emma supposed she must have been acting strangely - not entirely surprising considering how nervous she was about how this conversation would turn out.

He gestured to her with his hook expectantly, "Well? What is it, love? Spit it out."

"Alright," Emma said, folding her hands in her laps. "I know you want to kill the Dark One and I think I may know how you can do it."

Hook's eyebrows shot up into his forehead, and Emma wondered if he hadn't believed Bill when he said she wanted to discuss Rumpelstiltskin.

"Oh really," he drawled, reigning in his surprise at her declaration. "You, Princess Emma, can kill the Dark One. Have you got another secret that you think will be of some use in this?" He smiled bitterly but Emma could sense he was interested in what she had to say.

"It's not a secret," Emma said slowly, thinking over what she had told herself to say the night before. "It's a prophesy about someone called The Savior... or The High Queen who will save the Enchanted Forest from darkness - including Rumpelstiltskin." She looked up at him, trying to convey the importance of this with her eyes. "I know prophesies sound ridiculous..."

"I've seen some ridiculous things in my time, princess." Hook interrupted suddenly. "Magic you wouldn't believe. Prophesies however," he shrugged. "Have been known to have some... use."

Emma's heart soared and she relaxed a fraction, smiling at him. Tink may have betrayed her trust but she had said one thing that stuck: she had hope for Captain Hook and Emma had said she would have hope for him too.

"So, who is this High Queen?" He asked blithely. "And why do you think she would help me?"

"Er..." Emma braced herself. "Well, according to the prophesy the High Queen will be a young princess born under the spring moon in the year of the lamb so... The Blue Fairy, our... court... fairy... I guess." She stumbled over the words, feeling very self-conscious talking about prophesies and fairies. "She believes either I or Princess Aurora will become the High Queen and destroy Rumpelstiltskin and all the darkness in the realm."

Hook burst out laughing at this. "You? You or that shy little mouse of a princess are going to save the realm and destroy Rumpelstiltskin?"

Emma's mouth formed a hard line, annoyance at his flippant attitude flickering through her. "Yes," she said firmly, trying to keep her temper in check. "One of us will kill Rumpelstiltskin and I want you to help us."

"Let me get this straight, love." Hook leaned forward on his knees, grinning widely, his blue eyes bright with laughter. "I take you home, you and the mouse princess figure out which of you is this High Queen and we all ride off and kill Rumpelstiltskin together? You, me, her, Snow White and Prince Charming team up to destroy him."

"Yes," Emma leaned forward, wanting to take his hand and show him how much she really wanted what he'd just said. "You'll get your revenge the honorable way."

Something inside him seemed to snap at that. He got quickly to his feet, the chair tipping over behind him and he came to stand in front of her, all traces of amusement gone from his handsome face. "And tell me princess, how does your father feel about pirate captains that kidnap princesses?" He spat viciously, "Head on a spike if I remember correctly?"

"No..."

"You are out of your bloody mind, darling," Hook continued, staring her down fiercely. "I am a pirate captain and you're asking me to come help the royal bloody family save the realm from darkness." He raised a hand to stop her from speaking, a bitter laugh bubbling from his throat. "Let me guess, there's more to this than Rumpelstiltskin."

Emma got to her feet as well, squaring off with him. "There is but why does that matter?"

"You're trying to employ me? It bloody well matters, darling."

She let out a huff of irritation and had to keep herself from snapping at him. "Rumpelstiltskin and the sorceress Cora have taken over half the Enchanted Forest and I _must_ stop them." She could hear a note of desperation crawl into her voice. "They've ripped the hearts out of half the country, controlling thousands of people in the Northern and Eastern Kingdoms. It's only a matter of time before they move south and take the entire realm." She clenched her fists, angry and frustrated again as her temper flared and her voice rose. "And meanwhile, I'm here on this goddamned ship with you. Locked up in a room being no use to anyone!"

"Oh I don't know," Hook smiled thinly at her, kohl lined eyes narrowing. "You're pretty useful to me."

"I can be more useful to you," Emma said passionately, stepping closer and refusing to let him look away. "I can help you kill the Dark One."

Hook stared back at her for a long time but she was unable to read the emotions playing out across his face. "Darling," he said at last, coming closer to her. Slowly he ran a hand up her arm to her shoulder and leaned close to her ear, his nose brushing against her cheek as he spoke barely above a whisper. "I already have a way to kill the Dark One, love. I don't need you."

A shiver - both delightful and terrifying - ran through Emma as his breath ghosted over the shell of her ear. Her eyes shut of their own accord and she swallowed thickly. "But is it honorable..." she murmured back.

The hand on her shoulder tightened and Hook pulled back to stare down at her again. His face had darkened considerably, blue eyes stormy and menacing. "No darling, I'm afraid it isn't." He said softly, watching her react to his closeness. Emma found her eyes drawn to his lips as he spoke. "But I'm a pirate, not a prince. So tell me, love. What makes you think I'd want to help you?"

Emma's impulsively placed her hand over his where it gripped her shoulder. Soft and meaningful compared to the harsh way he held her in place. "Because I have hope for you, Hook." she replied sadly, "I want to have hope for you."

He swallowed heavily and tried to pull away from her. "Thanks for the offer, princess. But I have my own agenda."

Emma didn't let go of him, she grasped his hand in both of hers and stepped as close as she dared, staring into his eyes and trying to convey how important this was. She only had this one chance to convince him. "Wait," she begged.

Hook frowned back at her, taken by surprise at her pleas and seemingly unsure how to react as Emma searched his eyes for something she was sure he'd lost, something he was missing and needed to find again.

"Don't you want redemption," Emma asked him, watching his reaction. "Redemption and _honorable_ revenge. That's what I can give you, Hook."

His adam's apple bobbed in his throat and he clenched his jaw. Emma wondered if it was a reaction to her closeness or her words. He gave her hand a squeeze and for one brilliant moment when he brought his hook up to adjust her blonde curls, Emma thought that hope had won out in the end.

Then he smiled bitterly and suddenly pulled her flush against him. His hook went around her waist, squeezing her to him while his eyes blazed. "Redemption." He repeated, sneering. "You offer me redemption, princess."

Emma's heart thudded in her chest as he held her, staring her down as a series of emotions played out across the planes of his face. She tried to read them but found herself distracted by the arm around her waist and the way his tongue darted out to lick his lips while he leaned towards her, hissing, "I am a pirate, darling. I don't want fucking redemption. I want my revenge. On my terms."

She swallowed heavily, feeling the hope she had for him drain out of her heart. Then he released her and backed away slowly, "But thanks for thinking of me, darling."

Emma watched him retreat, feeling like she wanted to collapse on the floor, sobbing like a child and throw herself out the window to the endless expanse of sea like a mad woman at the same time. Her heart was beating out of her chest as the door was relocked, and she would have done anything in that moment for a sword and a chance to face Hook properly. Not just because he had turned her down and seemed to have so little desire to be good. But she was certain for a moment he had considered it, when he squeezed her hand and stared into her eyes.

She threw herself down on the bed and screamed into the pillow in frustration. Her body was hot and prickling all over, with anger and something else that made her feel like Hook was all over her. Teasing and challenging and inflaming her. Once again propriety had been flung out the window as Emma remembered how he'd lowered his lips nearly to hers to whisper that he had no interest in the redemption she offered him. She could still feel the soft push of his nose against her cheek and his hot breath against her ear, his voice like wicked honey, and she felt warmth pool in her belly.

Emma rolled on her back and shut her eyes, her right hand settling on her stomach where she felt uncomfortably warm. No. She told herself. No no no. He was awful and keeping her from her family and outright refusing to take the honourable path. And here she was indulging in thoughts of the pirate whispering into her hair, lips only a breath away from her ear and _wishing_ he might have come just a little bit closer. Only just so she could know what it would feel like to have his lips on her. Or his tongue.

Her hand moved further down her stomach, almost of it's own accord, resting low between her hips, her fingers twitching to move lower still.

Emma reasoned it was because she was so frustrated being locked in this cabin, so furious with him for keeping her and being so goddamned unpliable - and she needed relief - and presently touching herself was the only relief she could offer herself. She was still hot all over and breathing heavily, out of anger, she told herself. Perhaps she was even going mad being stuck in the cabin for so long.

The previous summer she'd spent some time with one of the stable boys who had developed into a very handsome young man with strong, muscled arms, soft blonde hair and shining hazel eyes. First it was just a few kisses here and there. Despite what her mother said about being sure Emma would find true love, Emma knew she would more than likely need to make a political marriage for the sake of her kingdom - unless by some miracle a prince showed up and stole her heart. She didn't think that was very likely. So she'd let things with the stable boy progress past the point of propriety over the summer. He was sweet and handsome and she let him touch her under her drawers. He didn't seem to have much experience but kissing him while he rubbed her had felt quite nice.

Emma cleared her throat and focused her mind on the stable boy, his blonde hair and pretty face and long eyelashes. He'd kissed her very softly, never wanting to assume or take liberties with the Crown Princess and future Queen. Emma had tried to get him to press his tongue to hers but he'd resisted. She squeezed her eyes shut and imagined what it would have been like if the boy had been just slightly more forceful when he'd kissed her. Emma slipped a hand inside her trousers, lightly drawing a line with her index finger over her sex. She was surprised to discover how wet she was and reasoned it was from thinking about the stable boy, not from being pressed up against Hook while he looked at her as if she were something he'd like to devour.

Exhaling loudly, Emma shook her head to clear it and thought about kissing her stable boy, moving her fingers just slightly faster at the memory of how he'd touched her like this, his thumb gently rubbing her clit - it had been nice but it hadn't done much, and Emma was no novice at making herself feel good. She let her mind drift, imagining the stable boy had whispered into her hair while he touched her, lips moving along the shell of her ear, his wicked voice sending shivers straight to her core.

And when he brought his mouth so close to hers that their lips almost touched she would have grabbed him by the lapels and kissed him roughly. It would have been more forceful, his tongue demanding entrance into her mouth and hands roaming her body relentlessly. She didn't want this to happen in a stable on a pile of hay. Inside. Against a desk. She would wind her fingers into his soft, dark hair when he grabbed her arse, grinding his hips against hers and then lifting her up on the desk, spreading her legs so he could slowly trail fingers up her thigh, teasing her and making her beg before finally, softly, stroking her wet folds. Then he would probably whisper something filthy in her ear about being _such a_ _naughty princess_ and it would again send jolts of desire straight through her.

Emma worked her fingers harder against her sex, hearing herself whine with need as she felt her orgasm start to coil low in her belly.

His fingers would slip inside her, stroking her inner walls while she moaned and let her head drop onto his leather-clad shoulder, begging for more. She moved faster, chasing the relief she so craved, her imagination now conjuring a dark head nuzzling her neck and tracing the column of her throat with his tongue before moving to her ear and breathing something wicked. _Come for me, princess,_ he'd say before meeting her gaze, blue eyes watching her moan and move against his fingers wantonly until at last Emma's orgasm rocked through her, making her see stars as pleasure washed over her.

Emma moaned as she made herself come, shamelessly loud with no regard for anyone who might hear her. Her heart beat fast in her chest as she came down from the high of it. Her fingers were soaking with her own wetness and she hesitantly wiped them on the bed sheet, feeling deeply conflicted about where her mind had just wandered. Deeply conflicted indeed.

* * *

After her conversation with Rumpelstiltskin Merida leapt back onto her horse and kicked it into a gallop, desperate to catch up with her family as soon as she possibly could. The procession of horses, clansmen and the litter hadn't moved very far and Merida quickly slipped into the line next to her father and mother. Her brothers were practicing sword fighting along the side of the road, their progress so slow they didn't require horses.

"Dad... Mum," she said under her breath. She'd been trying to figure out a way to discretely tell her parents about the meeting she'd just had with the Dark One without any of their clansmen hearing or suspecting she knew they had lost their hearts. From what she understood about the condition, it was mere chance that they'd not attacked her family yet.

"Took you quite a while to make water, my love," her mother teased. She was smiling but also looking uncomfortable, rubbing her chest as if trying to clear indigestion.

"Eyyy, I don' need to be hearing about that," her father complained good naturally.

"I need to speak with you both," Merida tried to keep her voice steady, not failing to notice a clansman turn to look at her. "About marriage." She added for good measure.

Her mother turned to her, looking torn between suspicion and utter bewilderment, "You need to speak to us about marriage?"

"Are ye feeling alright, lass?" Her father asked, frowning.

"Yes, fine," Merida said in a rush. She looked at each of them meaningfully, trying to convey that she needed to be discrete. "Just been doing a lot of thinking. Could we go to the litter for some privacy?"

Both of her parents looked confused but acquiesced, halting the procession so they could clamber back inside the enchanted litter under the guise of discussing marriage and needing a break from the horses.

Once they'd gotten back underway Merida peered out the window to see if there was any change but the clansmen seemed the same glassy-eyed folk she'd been used to the last few days - now knowing they'd lost their hearts made her feel incredibly sorry for them.

"Now, what's this all about lass?" Fergus crossed his mammoth arms and stared down his nose at her.

Merida took a deep breath. "When I went into the woods I encountered... The Dark One."

Her mother and father immediately began to panic and tell her off for being so irresponsible as to wander off by herself and thanking the Gods she was alright.

"Enough!" Merida cried. "He may be the Dark One. And I know he can't be trusted but Mum... Dad... the clansmen have had their hearts taken by a sorceress. They could take ours whenever they please." She then recounted her discussion with Rumpelstiltskin, her mother and father interrupting her at various stages to tell her off for being reckless and speaking to a creature so known for his evil lies.

"Mum," Merida said desperately. "Your chest. You felt something, didn't you. And you, Dad?"

Fergus and Elinor looked at each other in unison, both taken aback and at last Elinor said "My love, do you...?"

"Aye," Fergus searched his wife's face and then looked to Merida. "Just before you returned, lass."

Elinor looked incredibly worried, "It was like a wee bird fluttering around my heart."

"It's a protection spell," Merida explained. "The Zombaidh won't be able to pull out our hearts. Or the boys."

"Oh, the boys!" Elinor started for the door in a panic. "They're out there alone with the clansmen."

"Wait one moment," Fergus was watching Merida carefully, realization dawning on his face. "Did the Dark One put these spells on us?"

Merida swallowed and nodded silently.

Her father began to look angry, his mouth settling into a firm line. "Merida, did you make a deal with the Dark One?"

She nodded again, feeling like a child being scolded. "It was the only way."

"You silly girl!" Her mother shrieked. "And just what did you promise him in return?"

Merida raised her fiery head, knowing this would be just about the worst part. "Emma's been kidnapped by pirates. I have to save her. The Dark One needs her for something - I don't know what - but I'm sure we can protect her once we get her back." Her parents started raging about how irresponsible she was so she continued in a rush. "He didn't say to do anything other than save her - not to bring her to him. To bring her home. Please, mum, dad, you must understand!"

Fergus slammed his fist into the side of the litter, making the heavy vehicle shake with his wrath. "Damn ye, Merida! You should know not to meddle with magic by now! Hadn't you learned your lesson when - "

The King was cut off when the cries of Harris, Hubert and Hammish shouting for them reached their ears. Merida had never seen her father move so fast, leaping out of the litter with her mother on his heels and she followed them, fearing she knew exactly what the would see.

The boys had their backs pressed against one another, their swords raised in defense as the clansmen surrounded them with weapons drawn. Brochan lunged at Harris but the boy caught the blow with his sword and then swung at Brochan's leg, slicing through his kilt and drawing blood. This seemed to spark something in the rest of clansmen because they began to advance in earnest now, but the princes were well trained and held them off.

"Boys!" Elinor shrieked, drawing the attention of the maid who had helped the queen upon her horse only an hour earlier. The maid was unarmed and moved as if to tackle Elinor, but Fergus's sword caught her in the neck before she managed to reach his wife, and she fell to the ground, dead. Elinor's hands flew to her mouth, eyes wide and horrified.

"Get back in the litter, both of ye!" Fergus commanded. But Merida had already begun firing arrows at the clansmen nearest her brothers, having no intention of leaving her brothers and father to fight alone. She and her father threw themselves into the fray, injuring rather than killing when they could, the muddy road growing slick with spilled blood.

"Dad!" Hubert shouted, "What's going on!"

"They're Zombaidh!" Merida shouted over the heads of their foes. "We have to get out of here!"

Elinor had pulled herself together enough to draw three horses away from the procession to escape on. "Over here! Run boys!" she screamed desperately.

Brochan was back on his feet in front of Harris. Merida watched with wide eyes as he reached for her brother's chest, intending to take his heart, but when his fingers reached Harris's tunic there was a flash of white light and he was violently thrown backwards, knocking over enough Zombaidh for the boys to make a run for it with Fergus on their heels.

Merida threw herself up on the horse nearest to her and made for her mother, intending to pull her up behind her, but when she was only a few feet from the queen, her brothers now attempting to climb onto their own horses, Elinor shrieked in horror. A clansmen had come up behind her and now held a knife to her throat.

They all froze in terror as the clansmen said, "All of you stop now," in a voice that was not his own. "Get in the litter or I will slit your mother's throat."

Merida was the only one on a horse but she was so shocked she couldn't decide to comply or flee. Then her father turned to her, his eyes ablaze as she'd seen them when they battled Mor'du, but also full of love and desperation as he commanded, "Go Merida! Find Emma. Take her to King Charming. He will help you find us. Now go!"

With a dry sob Merida turned her horse around, kicking it in the side viciously as it took off in a gallop. She leaned forward in the saddle, urging it faster and faster, not daring to look over her shoulder as tears streamed down her cheeks and she sobbed openly.

She wasn't sure how long or far she rode for but eventually the horse began to tire and she had to stop to water it, her eyes red and raw from crying and her mind spinning with questions she had no way to answer. She tried to breath deeply, to calm her mind but it was very little use. She remembered her promise to Rumpelstiltskin - to save Emma from the pirates - but all she could think of now was how to save her family. Their hearts may have been safe but they could still be killed. And if that wretched sorceress was behind this, Merida would bet her life they would have been taken to the Evil Queen's Castle.

Merida began pacing in front of the horse, her mind whirring as she tried to construct a plan. There were too many Zombaidh for her to go alone. An entire kingdom of heartless men and women as well as a powerful sorceress stood between her and her family. Merida needed magic but the only person she knew with magic was Rumpelstiltskin, and she not only owed him a favour but he was in league with the sorceress - at least on the surface - and clearly had ulterior motives up his sleeve.

Emma would know what to do. Emma was well-versed in the magic of this land. She had to get to Emma.

Merida conjured the image of the white globe Rumpelstiltskin had magicked out of thin air to mind. Rumple had pricked his finger and let a drop of blood on the globe, and it had morphed into a map of the Western Kingdom, narrowing down to the coast line and highlighting a spot a few days' ride south from where she was now. Supposedly where she would find Emma.

* * *

Killian stepped out of the cabin feeling like he'd just run a thousand miles, his heart was racing in his chest and his face was flushed. He leaned back against the closed door, gathering his thoughts.

What the hell had that been all about.

So, either Princess Emma or Princess Aurora was destined to save the realm and destroy the Dark One. Truth be told, he could completely believe it regardless of what he'd said, how he'd laughed in the princess's face at the prospect of her being some kind of savior. That other princess, yes, ridiculous. But this princess? She had a fire that could burn through the darkness. And she had just tried to burn through his. He had more questions about this prophesy, about the demise of the Dark One - where had it come from - what were the leaders of the Enchanted Forest doing about it - how was the Dark One meant to die...

But it was truly absurd of her to think he'd just ship her home, make his apologies for kidnapping her to the King and Queen, then join them all on some sort of quest to destroy the darkness. His crew would never stand for it. They didn't want royal pardons or honor or glory - they wanted to live forever and be free from the shackles of life that held the likes of the princess in check.

Redemption. What did she know of redemption, and why the bloody hell did she think he would desire it.

And honourable revenge. That was what really got him. Every time she said those words it felt like a knife to the stomach - he couldn't even imagine what Liam would say about how he planned to go about destroying the Dark One - especially when this offer of good form to achieve the same end had just been put on the table by that damned princess.

Killian pulled out his flask and took a long drink of rum, his head lolling against the closed cabin door. She had hated him viciously when she first arrived on the ship. Now she was trying to save his humanity - to save herself primarily - but by appealing to his better nature and saying she had hope for him. How manipulative could one young girl be? More than likely, as soon as they got to her castle he and his crew would be hanged and while he stood there waiting for death, he'd catch her green eyes and perhaps she'd shrug and smirk at him. Then go off and kill the bloody Dark One herself but he wouldn't be around to see it.

No, she wouldn't do that, but she couldn't possibly think her father, the bloody king, would do anything aside from hang him upon sight.

He stood outside the cabin door brooding for a while longer when he heard a soft sigh of pleasure from inside the his quarters. Killian froze, flask halfway to his lips, wondering if he'd imagined it but then it came again, a lusty moan then girlish sighing, the sound of a woman being pleasured. Or in this case, pleasuring herself. Killian's head spun as the image of the princes touching herself on his bed came to him, accompanied by her soft mewling growing more frantic making his cock grow uncomfortably hard in his trousers.

And what was it she was thinking about, he wondered? After that little encounter, which had not ended well, none the less there she was pleasuring herself.

The princess cried out wantonly, finding her climax and all Killian could do was stand rooted to the spot, hardly daring to breathe, listening to her while his cock throbbed an ached for her to touch him.

She fell silent then. Killian turned on his heel and headed for the crew's quarters. She'd given him more than enough to think about to take care of his own needs.

* * *

It had been over a week since Aurora begun training with the Blue Fairy, and despite Blue's insistence that she must be patient and could not expect her powers to manifest from thin air, Aurora could not help feeling like they were wasting their time. She stared hard at the wick of the candle she cradled between her palms, Blue hovering nearby, watching patiently.

"Aurora," she said serenely, "You must think of all you wish to accomplish. Not just the candle, but how you will save Emma, save the realm and snuff out the darkness for good."

Aurora concentrated on Emma, she imagined using the kind of magic she saw the fairies use - jets of white light - streaming from her hands straight at Hook until he fell overboard... she couldn't quite imagine killing him. Then she focused on hugging Emma. How happy she would be to see her friend safe and the love she had for her.

"What are you thinking about?"

"How much I love Emma and want to keep her safe," Aurora replied, her eyes still squeezed shut. "How the realm is in danger and there is no choice but to fulfill the prophesy and save everyone. I love my people, I want to keep them safe. I know the other kings and queens love their people as well and want to keep them safe. We all want the darkness gone from this land, and if I can then I will."

"That's very good, Aurora." Blue said, but her forehead creased with concern - nearly imperceptibly but when Aurora glanced at the fairy she caught it and any confidence she may have had in herself quickly dissipated.

She placed the candle aside, her mouth turning down sadly. "I'm doing everything right, aren't I?" She asked softly. "The magic should come if I'm The Savior."

Blue was silent for a moment and then said, "Magic is complicated. It could just be the time isn't yet right for your powers to manifest themselves, Aurora. And you must keep practicing, keep focusing on love and the destroying darkness, for if it is you who is destined to save the realm you must be prepared for your magic to come."

Aurora placed a hand to her forehead. "I think I need to eat," she said. In truth, she simply couldn't bring herself to continue to fail.

Blue nodded, "I shall leave you to it." Her wings fluttered and she was gone in an instant.

A hand maiden entered Aurora's chambers with a platter of various food from the kitchens. Aurora went straight for the pastries, grabbing as many as she could carry and then returning to her bed, willing the sweets to make her feel less despondent about the situation. Deep in her heart she knew Emma was The Savior - but Blue had said this was her own insecurity and that if she was indeed the one the prophesy spoke of then she needed to be prepared and believe in herself.

The hand maiden entered again, a look of pity crossing her face when she saw the princess huddled up in her bed covered in flakes of pastry and powdered sugar. "Your Highness," she curtsied. "Queen Ariel has arrived and Queen Snow would like you to meet them in the drawing room."

"Thank you, Sarah," Aurora mumbled, slightly embarrassed by how pathetic she must look. She got to her feet, brushing the pastry crumbs from her gown. The daily court fashion in Emma's kingdom was much less formal than her own. A corset that was wasn't tied quite tightly enough (in her opinion) and heaps of petticoats but no panniers to hold the skirt of the gown up. Today she wore yellow satin detailed with white brocade. Her favorite was the puffy shoulder pads alternating yellow and white. It was a style she might try to convince her mother to let her wear at home. With a tighter corset and panniers, of course.

In the Queen's sitting room, Aurora found Snow hugging a woman with wet red hair as if her life depended on it while the woman rubbed her back soothingly. The women, who must have been Queen Ariel, only wore a dressing gown and a glittering green cuff on her wrist. She was barefoot and obviously several months pregnant. The King stood nearby looking helpless.

"Don't worry, Snow," Ariel said in a soft girlish voice. "We'll find her. I know we'll find her."

Charming caught site of Aurora and, sounding incredibly distracted he said, "Princess Aurora. Have you met Queen Ariel?"

Ariel kept her arm around Snow and led her to the chaise lounge near the fire. She offered Aurora a small sad smile and Aurora curtsied quickly to acknowledge Ariel's higher status. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty."

"Just Ariel, please," she said kindly, still holding Snow and rubbing her back. "I just had to come check on Snow. I thought it might make you feel better to know that Eric has sent ships east to Agrabah and south to the Southern Isles. Five thousand ships are searching for Emma, I know we will find her."

Snow sniffed despondently, clearly holding back tears. "I just wish I knew she was okay." Her face crumpled and her lips quivered. "I miss her so."

Ariel wrapped her arms around Snow again and let her cry into her shoulder. "Oh Snow, I'll stay here with you until Emma comes home."

"It's her birthday in a week," Charming said in that same distracted voice. He was gazing out the window at the forest but didn't seem to be taking anything in. "The ball we had planned. Emma's dress is still being made. Perhaps she will return in time..."

Aurora sat next to Snow and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Emma is so strong, Your Majesty. I can't imagine her letting anyone get the best of her."

"You've met this Captain Hook before, haven't you Ariel?" Charming asked, still staring blindly out the window.

Ariel bit her lip, and met Aurora's gaze over Snow's shoulder. Aurora knew this meant she didn't want to say in front of Snow just how bad Hook was. She remembered him pinning her against him, holding the pistol to her cheek as he forced Emma to allow herself to be captured. After that she had been locked in the cabin but from the window could she had been able to see what direction the Jolly Rodger was headed.

"Yes," Ariel said slowly. "He's..." she seem to search for words that wouldn't frighten Snow. "In terms of pirates he's not as bad as they come. I've met worse. Blackbeard for example... and he I would call Hook _annoying_ than evil."

Aurora raised her eyebrows in surprise and Charming caught it, taking her surprise to mean that she didn't agree with this description.

"His hook," Ariel continued. "It is frightening. He uses intimidation and fear to control his enemies - and he wouldn't hesitate to put a sword through someone's belly. Unless they're of use to him, of course. And since they haven't brought Emma home for ransom I can only assume he's either trying to outrun our ships or keeping her on board to make sure we won't destroy his ship..."

"And... is he honourable?" Charming asked slowly, indicating another fear he had of this pirate.

Ariel looked thoughtful. "He hates mermaids, but most sailors do considering the reputation some of us have. I knew a mermaid once named Ursula. She went down a dark path but before that she, like me, wanted legs to live on land. Ursula loved to sing but her father forced her to use her voice to destroy ships..."

"And she encountered Hook?" Snow asked grimly. "Did he hurt her?"

"No, actually," Ariel frowned, looking conflicted. "She met him whilst singing in a tavern - she loved to sing for sailors. I think it reminded her of her mother. Hook gave her safe passage until her father found them and forced her back to the sea. In the end Hook betrayed her, helping her father steal her voice... but before that he treated her kindly like a gentleman. With compassion and honor. He was after revenge on someone who wronged him and he betrayed her to get it. But... he didn't hurt her."

Aurora frowned, "He sent her back to her father? That was the betrayal?"

Ariel winced, "It was more complicated than that. But ultimately I don't believe we need to worry about Emma being... taken advantage of by Hook."

Snow sat up straight suddenly, her eyes brightening. "That's it David," she said to her husband. "That's it!"

Charming looked at a loss, "What is it Snow?"

"Redemption," Snow said passionately. "If Hook has a compassion and honor within him we can help bring it back!"

"We have to find him first," Charming said with a sad twist to his mouth. "And so far we've not had any luck. And... he's a pirate."

"Hope can break through all of that," Snow said confidently. "Emma knows that and she will figure out how to save him from himself."

Aurora couldn't help but think Snow was being delusional - and from the look on Ariel's face she thought so as well. Her encounter with Hook had frightened her half to death. She didn't sense and compassion or honor there. Just selfishness, greed and a black heart. She thought perhaps this was not the time to share this with Snow and Charming. Any hope they could have for saving their daughter was good for them.

The last time Snow thought she could redeem someone she'd ended up with another five years of war with Regina on her hands. Letting Regina go only for the Evil Queen to take back the Western Kingdom with her black knights and murder hundreds of Snow's people. It had taken them twenty years to finally capture her once more. And even still Snow refused to have her executed.

Looking much better than she had in weeks, Snow now turned to Ariel. "How much longer do you have before the baby comes, Ariel?"

Ariel beamed, "Three months. Eric was wary about me swimming in this condition but obviously mermaids always swim when they're pregnant."

The women all giggled at that.

"I saw my sisters on my way here, Snow." Ariel said, "They're looking for Emma too. They know what the Jolly Rodger looks like."

Snow breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you for coming to see me, Ariel. You've made me feel much better."

"Of course, and I will stay until Emma returns," Ariel promised with a smile. "And perhaps then we can reschedule her birthday ball and work on finding her a suitor."

Aurora made her excuses, wanting to return to her chambers to continue practicing.

They needed all the help they could get.

* * *

Tink stood at the bow of the ship, watching the water rush past the hull as she plotted her next move. Killian was being very tight lipped about where exactly they were going and what they'd be doing once they got there. As far as she could tell they were now north roughly following the western coast of the Enchanted Forest - possibly parallel to the Evil Queen's kingdom. They had been at sea for weeks and would need to return to land to get fresh water soon, and that would be when she would make her move.

"Alright, Tinkerbell?"

Killian appeared beside her looking extremely flustered and tired - Tink had never quite seen him like this. She knew immediately that it had something to do with Emma.

"What's happened with the princess now?" She asked knowingly, crossing her arms and shooting him a look.

He let out a long breath and made a face. "She offered to help me kill the Dark One. Apparently she's destined to do it or some nonsense."

Tink's pale eyebrows raised high into her forehead. "Well that's interesting. Was it a prophesy?"

"Indeed," he replied dryly, staring out at the horizon. "Some bloody court fairy at her parents castle who's blue." He made an exasperated sound. "A court fairy? Bloody hell. Those people."

"As in _The_ Blue Fairy?" Tink's eyes widened and Killian seemed to take note of her interest.

"I suppose. You know her?"

Tink scowled, "Blue took my wings."

Killian grimaced and offered Tink some rum, which she accepted without hesitation. "You two don't get on very well, I take it."

"No," Tink gritted out. "She's a high minded bitch. However, when it comes to prophesy, Blue is never wrong." She handed him the flask back and shrugged. "If she says Emma's going to destroy the Dark One then Emma will be the one to destroy the Dark One. You may want to keep that in mind while plotting your revenge."

He scoffed, "Prophesies are incredibly easy to misinterpret and fate is ever changing"

"True," Tink conceded, "But if you were to help Emma fulfill her destiny rather than work against her you would be much closer to getting your revenge."

"Tink," Killian said flatly. "Her father would bloody well hang me and the crew before blinking."

"You don't know Snow and Charming." Tink held her hand out for more rum and Killian acquiesced. "They don't execute criminals. They believe everyone can be redeemed. They've got the Evil Queen locked up in their dungeon and the only thing keeping her there is squid ink. I bet Snow still thinks she can turn Regina to the good side." She snorted. "Idiot."

Killian ran a hand through his hair, "I'm not even going to consider this." He said bluntly. "I have a way to destroy the Dark One. It's just going to take slightly longer than I planned."

Tink sent him a sideways glance, "Where are you going?"

"Caledonia," he shrugged. "Got business with a prince."

Tink laughed and looked back out at the endless green-blue sea.

"Bloody hell," Killian pulled out his spyglass and peered through it at the horizon. "Bloody hell!" he said again louder and angrier.

"What is it?" Tink asked, alarmed.

Killian squeezed his eyes shut and looked up at the heavens. "I cannot bloody believe that bastard has come looking for me now, of all times," he said more to himself than Tink.

"Who!" She could see a ship coming their way now.

Instead of answering, Killian took a big swallow of rum then jogged to the quarter deck, pulling out his cutlass and grinning manically. "Alright mates!" He shouted and the crew gathered around him. "We've got a visitors on the horizon! Been a while since we've had a proper bit of pirating, ey?"

The crew cheered.

"Who is it?" Doogle took out his own spyglass and peered at the approaching ship. "Bloody hell!" He exclaimed with a laugh. "I'll tell you what, captain, I think Blackbeard's in love with ye from the way he's always following you around like a wee lass with a crush."

The crew howled with laughter and pulled out their swords, ready to fight.

"Tell me this, mates. The Jolly's the fastest ship in all the realms, do we turn tail and run or do we run Blackbeard down and fight!"

The crew roared unanimously that fighting was the desirable option.

Whipped up in a frenzy now, the crew began adjusting the sails and heading so they were moving faster towards Blackbeard's ship. They had encountered him a number of times over the years and Killian was always unimpressed with the other pirate's big talk and little actions. Always trying to take the Jolly Rodger from him. Doogle was right - Blackbeard was like a lass with a crush.

Killian was wound tight with all that had happened with the princess and reckoned he could do with some good old fashioned fighting. Killing a man with your life on the line always got your blood up and your heart racing - it would clear his head of Princess Emma and all the baggage that came with her.

"Captain," Doogle approached him looking mischievous, "Might I be suggestin' something, sir?"

Killian crossed his arms and cocked his head to the side, curious as to what the lad - who had become quite good friends with the princess over the last week - had to say. It was inevitably princess-related.

"Well, Old Bill says her highness is something fierce with a sword. Why don't we let her out to play?" Doogle grinned crookedly. "She's goin' a bit mad stuck in there all day and I'd love to see her cut down some of Blackbeard's crew. She could do with a bit of blood lust."

Killian's imagined the princess with a sword in hand, cutting down Blackbeard's pirates, remembering the way she'd fought Bill and Stokes when they'd first taken her. It was perhaps unwise to bring a woman onto another man's ship, the gentleman within him worried she would get hurt or captured or raped - but Doogle was right. She could look after herself and he too would love to see her in action.

A cannon fired from Blackbeard's ship but the ball dropped with a splash in the water nearby. The Jolly fired in return and Killian was pleased to see it went straight through the side of the other ship's hull.

"Not a bad idea at all, Doogle," Killian smirked at him. "Lets see what the princess is capable of."

He retrieved a second sword from the armory, testing the weight to make sure it was decent enough quality for the princess who more than likely was used to practicing with the finest swords in all the realm. This would be a glorious thing to see indeed, Princess Emma with her golden hair and her fierce heart. Slicing down pirates like the warrior she was.

Killian knocked on the door to his quarters and let himself in. She was laying on the bed staring blindly at the ceiling and he really did feel sorry for her, being trapped in such a small space for such a long time.

She glanced at him warily. "What now," she mumbled grumpily. "Why are there cannons going off?"

He strode over to her and offered her the other sword, grinning magnanimously. "Come now, princess. Don't you fancy a fight?"

Her eyes grew large and she sat up, taking the sword from him. She smelt faintly of sex which made Killian even more needy for a fight. There was nothing like battle to get a women out of your system.

The princess looked at him testily, "Who are we fighting?"

Killian grinned again, and quirked his eyebrows. "Pirates."

* * *

 **A/N: Come on, we all know Emma was having a wank over Hook with all that sexual tension in season 2. ABC just wouldn't let them show it.**

 **Also - just a FYI - I'm British (hence extra vowels) but FFN seems to want to auto-correct to American spelling so please forgive the inconsistencies.**

 **One more note - is the prologue a bit meh? Should i vamp it up a bit? Traffic indicates loads of people look at it then think "nah" which makes me saaaaaaad.**


	6. The Lion Hearted Girl

**A/N: We have a lot of Lion Hearted Girls here.**

 _Chapter 5. The Lion Hearted Girl_

* * *

Killian raced to the main deck of the Jolly Rodger with the princess hot on his heels. It hadn't taken much to convince her to join them.

"Pirates," she had repeated dubiously and took the sword from him. "We're being attacked by... more pirates."

Two more cannon blasts went off but nothing had hit the Jolly. She looked remarkably unconcerned.

"Aye," Killian grinned crookedly, "I thought you'd be pleased. You get to kill some pirates - just not me or me crew."

She tested the weight of the sword and then shrugged, getting to her feet, "Well what are we waiting for then."

Now they burst onto the main deck together and Killian watched as the princess stopped for a minute, glancing around at the sea and up at the sun and then shutting her eyes, her face ecstatic at finally being free - well, relatively so, he supposed. She drew the sword he'd given her and for half a second Killian wondered if she would turn on him and run him through, but instead she shaded her eyes and peered out at the approaching ship.

"Aye, there she is!" Doogle jogged over, drawing his own sword. He and the princess touched their blades together as if they were the oldest of friends and Doogle cackled, "I'm lookin' forward to seein' this, highness. What ye wager I take more of Blackbeard's men than ye?"

The princess laughed, her face lighting up, which was a absolute shock to Killian. How the bloody hell did Doogle get her to do that?

She twirled the sword around in her hand expertly and swung it back and forth a few times, "How about a bottle of Dwarf Whisky?"

"Yer on, highness," Doogle winked at her and then turned to Killian. "Captain, we've got the grappling lines ready to go. Should only be a few minutes more before we pull up alongside 'em"

"Aye. Very good, Doogle. Ready the crew for boarding from the starboard side." Killian couldn't help the grin on his face, seeing the princess toss the sword to her left hand, spinning it around her wrist a few times before tossing it back to her right. She really was good with a blade.

"Not bad, darling," he drawled at her. "But there's swordplay and there's battle. Do you know the difference?"

She rolled her eyes and tossed her hair regally. "I guess we'll find out, won't we," she said cooly before following Doogle over to the rest of the crew. From where he stood Killian could see Old Bill try and convince her to go below deck, arguing with her briefly, but she embraced him and touched the old pirate's face and Bill seemed to relent despite himself.

How the bloody hell had she done that? Old Bill had never been the vicious blood thirsty sort but he'd never been the gentle sort either.

Killian went to the helm, taking over from Smee - the next part required his specific expertise. Blackbeard's ship shot another cannon ball at them but Killian had anticipated it, steering the ship so it swung in an arc and the ball missed the bow by a few feet. With a few quick turns of the wheel the Jolly began to circle the other pirate ship, bringing their starboard side along Blackbeard's port so his mangy crew were preparing to engage on the wrong side of their ship. Now side by side, the Jolly's crew threw grappling hooks over the side, pulling the two pirate ships close enough so they could lay planks to cross and fight. Both crews shouted and jeered at each other over the small gap of sea.

Tink came up behind Killian, holding firmly to lanyards to keep her footing. "I didn't realize we were going to be fighting Blackbeard on this voyage!" She hollered at him over the shouts of both ships' crews.

Killian laughed over his shoulder at her, "Price of the traveler, Tink. You stay here and guard the ship with Smee. You'll be fine."

"Fine? I have have no magic, you bastard!"

"Aye, but you're a smart fairy," he teased, tying off the wheel to keep it secure.

Once they were firmly anchored, Killian's crew lay the planks and ran across to Blackbeard's ship, hollering and swinging their swords like mad men. Killian joined them shortly, glancing around for the princess - she seemed to have gone over in the first wave of his crew. One of Blackbeard's men, a grizzled pirate missing all his teeth ran at him and Killian tried to put the princess out of his mind, reminding himself she could look after herself. Probably.

He parried, striking high then low, dodging and attacking, catching the toothless pirate's blow which gave Killian the upper hand, allowing him to strike the other pirate in the neck. Blood from a major artery spurted in a high arc and the man fell dead to the deck. Killian spun around, his coat flaring out behind him, just in time to catch the blade of another - this one a younger pirate covered in burns. He wasn't very good with a sword and Killian quickly ran him through and let him fall bleeding to the floor.

It was true, he thought, taking on the next of Blackbeard's men. Killing a man with your life on the line did get a woman out of your system.

That was until Doogle appeared behind the pirate Killian was currently crossing swords with with and unceremoniously ran the poor bastard through from behind, calling out, "That's three for me, highness!"

Killian followed Doogle's gaze up up to the quarter deck where he could see the princess's back as she bounced around on her toes, clashing swords with a one-eyed pirate who was snarling fiercely at her. She dodged around him, faster and quicker, making him spin in a circle. His missing eye was his downfall, not having the peripheral vision to see the princess raise her sword to ruthlessly stab him through the his good eye. Her sword went right through his head and she shouted. "Three!" Then stepped on the dead pirates neck to wrench her sword free from his skull.

Another of Blackbeard's men approached her from behind, about to run her through and Killian, now clashing with another pirate whilst also trying to watch the princess, nearly took a blade to the belly in a moment of hesitation. It wasn't necessary to warn her, though. In one swift movement she had her foot on the dead pirate's neck, pulling her sword out with both hands before spinning and dropped to her knees, running the advancing pirate through the stomach.

"Four!" She called down to Doogle, her brow furrowed in concentration.

"Ah, Hook, now you've got women fighting for you? How sweet." Blackbeard himself finally appeared, drawing his sword and engaging Killian. They had fought many times over the years and Killian knew all of his tricks, especially Blackbeard's love of taunting him to get his back up in the hopes of making a mistake. They crossed blades back and forth, both ducking and swinging in an old, practiced dance. Blackbeard managed to nick Killian across the collarbone but he dodged backwards before his foe could do any worse.

They went on like this for ages, Killian occasionally heard Doogle and the princess calling out "Five!" "Six!" "Seven!" to each other which was enough to keep him going without having to look for the princess to make sure she was still alive.

On and on they fought, hissing insults and mocking each other.

"Ah, you're like a wee lass with a crush," Killian laughed, stabbing forward then jumping back, his coat swinging theatrically around his legs. "Tell me Blackbeard, are you in love with me or just the Jolly."

Blackbeard gave a bark of laughter, raising his sword arm in a high in the air, intending to strike downwards in a powerful blow meant to go through Killian's neck. "The Jolly Rodger will be mine! And as far as wee lasses go, I'll take great joy in tasting -"

Before Blackbeard could bring his sword down the princess appeared behind him. Killian met her eyes briefly over Blackbeard's shoulder - such fierce determination glowing in those green eyes - before she raised her blade high in the air with both hands and, with a girlish grunt, brought it straight down through Blackbeard's sword arm just below the shoulder. The arm fell to the deck with a dull thud and Blackbeard fell to his knees, shrieking in a most unmanly manner while blood spurted at the deck from his stub.

Both crews turned to watch as the princess bent down, and took the mutilated pirate's sword, handing it to Killian with a tight smile - almost as if she had just picked a piece of fruit for him. He took it from her, somewhat in awe of the state of her. Blonde hair glowing against her bloodied white shirt. Completely uninjured. Green eyes sparkling in determination and, he was sure, a certain degree of pleasure at the sight of Blackbeard rolling onto his back in a pool of his own blood, howling in pain.

The princess gestured to Blackbeard, "I believe his head is yours, Captain," she said calmly.

As if in a dream, Killian took the the blade from the princess and struck Blackbeard across the neck, removing his head in one fluid stroke with the man's own sword. The head rolled across the deck, coming to a stop near the feet of late captain's crew.

Almost immediately, the remainder of Blackbeard's crew dropped their swords in surrender and the crew of the Jolly Rodger cheered.

They began the process of rounding up those left alive, forcing them on their knees and tying their hands behind their backs. The protocol was to kill them, set fire to the ship and watch it burn while they drank as much rum as they could stomach then make for port to find willing tavern wenches.

Doogle was slapping the princess on the back saying, "Bloody brilliant! My Gods, highness!"

"You bloody beautiful women!" Smithy, another pirate who had been with Killian since the Jolly had been the Jewel of the Realm, was exclaiming. He reached out to embrace the princess but then seemed to think better of it. She saw the movement and threw herself into his arms, still glowing with the adrenalin of battle.

Killian tried to focus on getting the rest of Blackbeard's crew ready for execution but it was nearly impossible to look away from the princess; beautiful, blood soaked, shining like the sun and still so poised and regal while she let Smithy hug her again and Old Bill checked her over for wounds, making sure none of the blood on her was her own.

"Please Captain Hook, have mercy!" cried one of Blackbeard's crew. There were only about ten of them left and they knelt before him with their heads bowed.

Killian noted that none of his crew had been wounded or killed which more than lucky - it was astounding. Almost _magical._

He was about to declare that they were bastards who were damned for having taken up with Blackbeard and now they would pay with their lives but as per usual, the princess had something to say first.

"Father!" She exclaimed, and Killian whirled around to see her clutching Old Bill's arm, begging him passionately. "Father, I have seen too much bloodshed today. These men could easily be our own. Blackbeard was our enemy and now he is dead. Let them forge their own path - let us be allies with these good men who were led down the wrong path by that scurvy dog Blackbeard."

"Wha..." Old Bill seemed at a loss for words. He looked at Killian, his one eye crinkling in confusion. "Captain, me - er - me daughter wishes to give these men mercy...?"

"Thank ye, miss!"

"Bless, ye missus!"

"Please, Captain, please mercy as the lady says!"

Killian looked at his crew and felt very much like a majority of them were standing beside the princess, backing her in silent agreement for this plea for mercy.

He cleared his throat, "Who among you is the highest ranking?"

After a long pause one of the crew who had yet to beg for mercy raised his head, "Aye, that's me, sir." He was middle-aged and sunburnt with a long scar down one cheek. "Second Mate. Name's McGee."

"Ye can't be serious, Captain!" Stokey exploded - he was one of the few standing away from the princess. "We've taken their bloody ship! We burn it and they die!"

The princess strode forward to stand beside Killian, completely ignoring Stokey and pulling at her ears.

"You are now Captain McGee," she told the sunburnt and scarred man, her voice both commanding and serene. "Please rise."

With wide, confused eyes, McGee got to his feet before the princess. Killian knew he should step in, either shoot the man or take over whatever charade the princess was playing but he was entranced, unable to look away from her as she held her hand out to McGee, revealing two sparkling diamond earrings.

McGee's eyes bulged and he stared at her, "What - what is this?" He stammered.

"A peace offering," the princess said solemnly. "We killed your captain but he was not a good captain and he cared not for his crew. Will you be a good captain, sir? Will you agree to henceforth be friends with The Jolly Rodger and help us if we are in need as we will help you?"

The new captain's mouth moved wordlessly a few times but at last he croaked, "Aye"

The princess reached for his hand and placed her earrings in his palm, then closed his fingers around them as he seemed incapable of doing so himself.

"Then we have an accord," she smiled. "All of you, please rise and salute your new Captain."

The other six men got to their feet slowly, looking bewildered, shocked and suspicious.

"Who are you?" McGee asked the princess, looking at her in awe.

She smiled and shrugged, "Just a pirate's daughter."

As if in a trance, Killian's crew followed the princess over the planks, untied the grappling hooks and let the newly christened Captain McGee's ship sail away. Killian returned to the helm, the sun was beginning to sink when the ship was finally released and he spotted Stokey and Charger - another crewmen he'd picked up after Liam's death - making there way towards him, clearly disgruntled over how things had gone down.

"Captain," Charger said in a gruff voice. He was a big man with thick black hair up and down his heavy arms and a bushy beard. "We ain't too sure what just happened, but it seems to us the princess is overstepping her place."

"We shoulda burnt the ship with those cowards on it," Stokey added irately.

Killian looked ignored Stokey and looked at Charger. He'd already decided on his excuse for not stepping in and stopping the princess from her... he didn't even know what to call it. "First of all, _mates_ , I don't need to bloody well explain myself. I'm your Captain. You do as I say." He placed a hand meaningfully on his cutlass.

"Aye, sir" Charger looked disgruntled, but said nothing further.

"She killed Blackbeard," Killian continued, giving Charger a pointed look. "One of my greatest foes who has been trying to take the Jolly Rodger for centuries. Would you not indulge the princess's womanly desire for mercy as thanks for such a thing?"

Charger mulled this over quietly while Stokey opened is mouth to protest, but Killian cut him off with only a glare and the two retreated below deck.

Doogle cried, "Rum all around! Get the barrels out!" which caused the crew cheer loudly, their spirits higher than they'd been in a very long time.

"What did you think of mercy?"

Killian turned to see the princess leaning against the helm, her arms crossed, giving him a knowing look. "I'm not sure, princess." He licked his lips. "Was that you trying to make a point?"

"That was called diplomacy," she said simply. "And it was honorable."

With that she turned on her heel and went to celebrate with his crew.

* * *

After meeting Ariel, Auroa locked herself in her chambers and practiced with the candle until it grew dark outside. And then she continued until her hand maiden knocked on the door calling, "Your Highness? Your Highness, your parents have arrived."

She felt her heart leap into her mouth and bolted out of the room, through the many corridors to Snow's drawing room, which was empty. She ran to the War Room and found Briar Rose and Stefan sitting with Snow, Charming and Ariel around the big oak table, the Blue Fairy hoovering nearby. None of them wore their crowns and her parents still wore their traveling cloaks. Rather than a war room full of royalty it was a room of mourning.

"Mama! Papa!" Aurora cried, dashing into the room.

Briar Rose stood immediately, her hand flying to her heart and her eyes glistening. She rushed forward to embrace her daughter wile Stefan stood stiffly, trying to keep his countenance composed before relenting and striding towards his wife and daughter to wrap his arms about them both, resting his chin atop Aurora's head..

"Oh, Aurora!" Tears leaked down Briar Rose's cheeks. She was a beautiful woman, a few years younger than Snow. Many people said she and Aurora could be sisters. "We were so worried about you, darling. Everything that's happened. The pirates and the Sorceress - the Heartless Ones the common folk speak of. Thanks the Gods you're alright!"

Stefan turned gravely to Snow and Charming. "We can not thank you enough for keeping our daughter safe."

"Of course, Stefan," Charming said in the same distant, solemn tone that had affected his words since Emma had been taken. "Aurora is like a sister to Emma."

Snow looked like she was about to burst into tears again, her lips quivering and Ariel placed a consoling hand on her shoulder. It was clear to Aurora how it must have hurt to see her reunited with her parents, her mother fussing and crying happily, touching Aurora's face and hair as if she couldn't believe her daughter was real, while Emma was still missing - possibly dead or in pain.

Stefan cleared his throat, keeping a hand on Aurora's shoulder, as if afraid she would disappear. "David, we must discuss what we have seen and heard on our journey here."

Charming nodded stoically, "The Heartless Ones you speak of..." he trailed off and looked down at Snow who was now gazing at the family reunited with a sad smile. "They are... people who have had their hearts removed by Cora and now do her bidding?"

Briar Rose continued to stroke Aurora's hair, "We traveled by land in an effort to raise our people's spirits, but there were so many on the roads, refugees not just from the Eastern Kingdom but from the Middle Kingdom now too. They say Midas has had his castle fortified by the Yellow Fairy and they are under siege by Heartless Ones." She finally turned to look at Snow. "And when we crossed into Thomas's Kingdom it was even worse. Folk from the Middle and... the Western Kingdom. They say the Sorceress has taken The Evil Queen's castle."

Snow paled considerably at this, covering her mouth with both hands and quickly turning to her husband. "Oh David," she gasped. "How could we have let this happen?"

Charming simply looked despondent.

"You can't blame yourselves!" Ariel insisted, placing her other hand on David's shoulder. "How could you know Cora would try to take back Regina's castle!"

David's mouth pinched into a firm line and he slammed a fist into the round oak table, "How could we have not known!" He swore furiously under his breath. "The Evil Queen's Castle was locked with blood magic. Of course Cora was the only one who could get inside. We should have had more troops to stop her..."

"You mustn't blame yourselves," Stefan said firmly. "David, that she-devil has dark magic. Darker than the Evil Queen. Those who have had their hearts ripped out are now enchanted to remove the hearts of others. You couldn't have known this kind of evil was even possible."

"We should have sent more troops," Charming continued to stare down at the sturdy oak.

"They would have only become Heartless Ones themselves," The Blue Fairy said sadly, speaking up for the first time. "It is good Yellow is with King Midas. Snow, your Aunt Queen Marie and her family are hiding there too. Yellow has great power, very different from many of the fairies of this realm."

"But what of our people," Snow got to her feet and began to pace. "This must have been what Rumpelstiltskin and Cora have been planning all along. To take over the Enchanted Forest by enchanted and controlling the people." She closed her eyes, grieving. "David, we were supposed to protect our people, that's why we took back the Western Kingdom in the first place. We've failed them."

Charming looked as though he agreed with this sentiment but tried to comfort her anyway. "We were focused on the East... Regina's father still rules as a puppet in Xavier's seat and the Eastern Kingdom won't be restored until he is removed."

"David, he rules _legally_ ," Snow interjected. "He is Xavier's son."

"It no longer matters," Briar Rose spoke up suddenly, drawing all eyes in the room to her. "The Sorceress killed Henry upon her return - there is no ruler there. The Eastern Kingdom runs wild with Cora's Heartless Ones. Those who did not escape are now her slaves."

Aurora knew the history of the Western Kingdom and it was not a pretty thing. Just before she was been born there was a war between the people and King George - Charming's adoptive father - and The Evil Queen. Snow and Charming won without much bloodshed, defeating the darkness. Only a few years later however, Regina took back the kingdom and plunged the people into despair. A war that lasted ten long years and killed many ensued until at last the Evil Queen was banished to Oz and Snow and Charming were able to rebuild the Western Kingdom. But then Regina had come back yet again with the help of some wizard in Oz. It was only with the help of the Dark One that they had managed to stop her some six months earlier. And now her mother, the Sorceress Cora had taken both the Eastern and Western Kingdoms with more evil magic than Aurora had thought possible.

"Snow!" Ariel grasped her friend by the arm, "You mustn't loose hope! You've always told me hope is the most important thing. I know it's hard with Emma gone but we _will_ get her back and we _will_ defeat the Dark One and the this sorceress Cora!"

Snow gripped Ariel's hand, "But how? How do we fight this kind of magic?"

"With light magic," Blue said firmly. She pulled her wand from the folds of her gown and with a flick of her wrist a burst of pink sparks reveals blonde woman the same size as Blue wearing a pink gown. "Hello, Nova."

The Pink Fairy forced a smile and curtsied mid air. "Blue," she said reverently. Nova had a more girlish look to her than Blue, younger with silver stars threaded through her hair. Aurora could picture her smiling all the time but clearly she knew of the realm's troubles as her pretty face was creased with worry.

"Nova, you must gather the fairies. The kingdoms of King Thomas and King Stefan are no longer safe and their armies and people must be protected."

Nova's eyes grew wide. "The Heartless Ones... Iridessa said they had taken over the Middle Kingdom. Are they moving south?"

"Yes," Snow interrupted. "That must be Cora's plan."

"Pink, you must got to Thomas's castle and warn him." Blue continued serenely, "His son the prince and grandchildren are already on their way here... they may not yet know how the other Kingdoms have been taken."

"Who is Iridessa?" Aurora asked curiously - her father shot her a look and she realized she'd spoken out of turn.

"The Yellow Fairy," Nova explained. "Blue likes to call us..." she trailed off glancing sideways at Blue who was watching her disapprovingly. "She has special powers," Nova continued. "I will gather the fairies and we will protect the southern kingdoms as best we can."

"Thank you, Nova," Stefan said gravely. "We are greatly indebted to you."

Nova seemed to blush and then curtsied in mid-air before winking out of sight.

Charming had been watching this exchange with a frown, his arms crossed and his face hard and determined he looked at Snow. "We have to speak to Regina."

Aurora watched Snow nod slowly, brooding on the idea, and Aurora realized just how much trouble they must be in if they were going to the Evil Queen for help.

* * *

Emma was relatively drunk. She wasn't used to this much rum. Wine and whisky were her vices of choice - but rum did the job and she felt more carefree than she had in a long while. The rum eased her guilt over the fact that she'd had one of the most exciting days in all her life while her parents were home worrying about her.

As a princess, she was used to being treated with the utmost respect, worshiped even. She had gifts lavished upon her - gems and diamonds, elaborate and expensive clothes, carriages and ponies and dolls made from gold thread - not to mention the sycophants at court and the suitors who tried to win her heart with an arsenal of praise, promises and fortune. The way the pirates celebrated her was far more entertaining.

"Her highness needs another drink!" Her newest friend, Craven Pete patted her on the head and offered her the bottle of rum - perhaps the sixth bottle their crew of twenty-five had gotten through over the course of several hours. "Never leave a lady without a drink," he advised her drunkenly. "Makes em' think you don like em."

"And then!" Doogle was slurring dramatically, in that natural storyteller way of his. "The princess raised her sword and cut off Blackbeard's arm, right at the shoulder!"

Smithy tucked his arm behind his back to indicate he'd lost it and fell to the deck. "Aghh Princess! Have mercy, I'm just a poor fool in love with yer captain! Take pity!"

"You mangy dog!" Doogle pretended to kick Smithy in the side. "And THEN! The princess took the old bastard's leg!" He mimed slicing off Smithy's leg and Smithy howled in pain.

"It would seem Doogle's retelling of Blackbeard's death has already become the stuff of legend."

Emma jumped when Hook appeared behind her. She hadn't said a word to him all night. He was either avoiding her or she was imagining that he was avoiding her because he wasn't lavishing her with attention. If it was the latter, she realized she was in trouble.

"Soon I'll have cut off his manhood and fed it too the sharks," she snickered, glancing sideways at Hook who was watching her warily. She cleared her throat. "Sorry, I'm a bit... I've had a bit too much rum."

"Oh, don't apologize, love," Hook said smoothly, reaching for the rum and taking a long drink. "I like you this way," he said, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.

Emma felt herself flush and cleared her throat, trying to cover it up in case he got the wrong idea. "You mean not trying to kill you or talk you into something noble?"

Hook smirked at her knowingly. Too knowingly. And handed her the bottle back. "What other way could I mean, darling?" he asked lightly.

"Oh, I don't know," she said, refusing to look him in the eye, opting for the planks of the deck instead. "Drunk?" she said at last, smiling despite herself.

"Sure, dunk." Emma could hear that arrogant smirk in his voice, "I like you being yourself, love."

Emma scoffed, slightly disappointed he hadn't said something more... infuriating or suggestive. "I'm always myself, unless I have to impress people." Her mouth turned down slightly, suddenly remembering exactly who she was and what awaited her back in the Enchanted Forest. "When I am married and Queen."

"Is that what that was earlier," he stepped closer to her, handing her the rum back, but Emma was acutely aware of his presence near her. "Impressing people."

"Diplomacy," she shot back. "I don't believe in executing people. And it isn't impressing people it's..." She searched the sky for the answer she was looking for, her head swimming with rum. "It's holding yourself to a higher standard for your people to follow."

There was a long silence while he digested this. "You don't seem to have a problem killing," he said at last.

Emma sighed heavily, she felt missed her parents and could feel herself embodying her mother as she spoke. "Killing is necessary sometimes just as war is. I could have stayed below deck like a coward, let the rest of you fight those who want to kill us all. Let more of you die. But I knew I would be more help fighting."

She jumped when Hook touched her hair softly, arranging it over her shoulder the way he liked and she didn't push him away although she knew, very much knew, that she should have.

"Are you betrothed?" He asked her quietly, almost politely.

"Why, so you could ransom me to them instead of my parents?" she asked dully.

"Not a chance, darling."

"No," Emma sighed, and finally looked up at Hook after avoiding his gaze for so long. "Much to the realm's dismay."

He cocked his head to the side, "And do you have many suitors?"

She narrowed her eyes and he immediately grinned; she had nearly forgotten how much he liked riling her up. "You ask a lot of questions - do _you_ have a lot suitors?" She slurred the last few words and reached for the rum.

"Oh, darling," Hook said smoothly, taking the rum back for a long drink. He ran his tongue over his teeth and Emma followed it with her eyes. "You have no idea."

"Sex," she said bluntly with another heavy sigh. "Aurora's terrified of it."

His eyebrows shot up in surprise, curiosity creeping into his stare. "And are you?"

Emma took the rum back, drinking until her throat burned then swayed on the spot. "No," she said at last, and found she needed to lean against the railing to continue to stand. "I don't expect my future King to be someone I'll be doing that with other than for making little princes and princesses who will go marry other princes and princesses." She dragged her eyes over to Hook who was watching her curiously.

"That doesn't sound very nice, darling," He hummed, leaning against the railing next to her. "Perhaps you should take a lover."

"Perhaps I shall," Emma mused and then, feeling a little reckless she deliberately looked him straight those blue eyes. "Someone who will make me feel good."

She saw him swallow thickly, his Adam's apple bobbing tellingly in his throat and Emma was pleased with her small victory against him even though it was terribly improper. The look on his face was worth it though. Like she had stolen the breath right out of him with very simple - but improper - words. No smirking, just staring at her openly. She could feel herself swaying and held onto the railing tighter. Other sentences that she would never say out loud coursed through her mind. Words she knew would have an even greater effect - things she had never thought of before but somehow in this state with him next to her she was thinking _Could you make me feel good?_

As if reading her mind, Hook turned to her so he was leaning against the railing, his hook dangling over the side and gave her an infuriatingly knowing grin. "And do you know how to make yourself feel good, princess?"

Emma blinked in surprise, unsure how to respond to this as earlier today she had been doing just that. How could he have known? He deserved a slap for such ungentlemanly behavior but it felt like a strength of wills now, testing each other. "Of course I do," she replied coyly, watching the smirk drop off his face to be replaced with something hungry. "But," she continued airily. "Princesses don't talk about such things."

"Aye, I suppose they shouldn't," he conceded lightly. "But you're not most princesses are you, love?"

She ignored the implication and looked around at the deck. Smithy was passed out with a bottle of rum in his hand while Doogle stood over him, still loudly telling a story transformed into something about a dragon nearly eating him alive while the crew roared with drunken laughter. Craven Pete was trying to sing an old shanty about pirates and thieves but he couldn't seem to remember the words so he just drunkenly and happily whined nonsense.

"Is this what it's usually like?" Emma asked, gesturing to the deck of drunken pirates. "The battle. The adreneline. Rum and celebration and then on to the next fight?"

Hook bit his lip and slowly slid closer along the railing towards her. "Aye. If we weren't in such a bloody hurry we'd make for port and find some tavern wenches... But seen as you're a princess we won't talk of such things as fucking willing wenches."

Emma kept herself from flushing at the curse she knew well enough but never used herself. Her mother always called it _making love_ which sounded very nice and special but that's how Snow White made everything sound.

Her rum soaked brain vaguely noted that he'd said they were in a hurry - a hurry to where, she wondered briefly but instead she said: "So, Battle. Rum. Fucking. That's a pirate's life?"

He was holding the bottle of rum to his lips, taking another long drink but choked when she spoke. Emma smirked. Another small victory.

Hook leaned in close to her, his hook tangling in her golden curls and she tried to keep the victorious smirk in place but it was proving difficult with him so close.

"Aye, darling. Didn't you feel it coursing through you when you were fighting," he asked her softly. "Your life could be over in an instant, all there is the fight."

Emma nodded, her gaze falling to his lips despite herself and she remembered how her heart had raced, euphoria flowing through her as she'd fought. "Yes," she agreed.

"Well, love." He was watching her face carefully. "There's nothing like a good fight to get you in the mood to fuck a beautiful girl."

She stared back coolly, not wanting him to know her pulse was racing. Although she had never had a good fuck - as it were - something about standing close to Hook while discussing it was making her feel incredibly warm, and as though perhaps a good fuck was exactly what she needed right now.

Emma raised her chin regally, regaining her composure. Tuning out these thoughts. Bringing back what he said about being in a hurry and going to port for the taverns. "I imagine that would be quite... nice." She looked up at him from below her lashes, feigning innocence. "It's a shame we're in such a hurry so you and the crew can't indulge in tavern wenches." She paused for effect. "Where are we going?"

He laughed, "Nice try, darling."

Emma shrugged, "You were distracted. It was worth a shot."

"Oh, distracted, am I?" he laughed, "By what?"

She looked at him squarely and fluttered her lashes. "By me, of course."

Hook swayed on the spot drunkenly, looking unsure of what he should do with himself. So Emma pulled the rum from his grasp and made her way over to Doogle and the unconscious Smithy, feeling that once again she had won that round.

* * *

Seen as she'd killed Blackbeard, won over a majority of the crew and hadn't tried to kill or attack Killian in quite some time he decided to allow her free reign of the ship. It did wonders for her mood and - irritatingly enough - for his crew's moral as well. Killian had always been acutely aware of the differences between those men who had served with him under Liam and those he'd picked up along the way. True, they were all selfish pirates at the end of the day but under it all, he could still see Old Bill with both his eyes, dark blue jacket with gold brocade and insignia indicating he was the ship's Quartermaster, standing at full attention next to Liam and rattling off details about the ship's stores.

And Craven Pete. Formerly Midshipman Peter Craven. He wasn't called Craven Pete because he was a coward. Pirate nicknames weren't always the most creative.

Then Smithy, previously known as Montgomery Smith, the Jewel of the Realm's Master Carpenter. Now an alcoholic with a frequent bouts of scurvy, he'd previously been known for his excellent craftsmanship and lilting singing voice that caught the attention of many a fair maiden.

Doogle was a new addition but he had proven himself to be loyal and intelligent - qualities not often found in pirates.

After only a few days above deck and the princess had them all under her spell. Perhaps she reminded them of what living a noble, honorable life could mean without. Perhaps it was just her beauty and fierceness that drew them to her. Perhaps it was even that she was a woman and kind to them, not in the way a whore lavishes attention on a paying customer, but as if each of the crewmen she grew close to were a friend she truly cared for.

Killian searched the deck for her and groaned when he saw what the princess was up to. The Jewel of the Realm's extraordinarily handsome Master at Arms, First Officer Jonathan Ledger was now the Jolly Rodger's most terrifying crew member. Cursed by a witch some centuries ago, she stole his youthful good looks and transformed Jonathan into a hunchbacked monster, his face deformed and twisted, one eye bulging and bulbous growths all over his body. He was known to the Lost Ones as The Ledge for his terrifying appearance.

Presently, The Ledge was waltzing with the princess. It was difficult to tell when The Ledge was smiling, his face so deformed that expressions rarely made it past the growths, but even from the otherside of the ship Killian could see him beaming down at the princess as she danced with him.

"Smee!" Killian bellowed, and his first mate came scrambling up to the helm.

"Yes, Captain?"

"Take the wheel," Killian said, distracted by the princess. She hadn't spoken to him since their rather inappropriate rum-fueled discussion a few nights before. It seemed he was the only person on the Jolly Rodger she had no desire to speak to. Perhaps he would take matters into his own hands.

He passed Stokey, who was working the mainsails on the starboard side and shouting at Smithy who was handling the same duty on the port side; Smithy was drunk but functioning as per usual usual. Stokey seemed to want to say something so Killian stopped short and waited, arms crossed, watching the foul pirate expectantly.

"Captain, she's makin a bloody fool oughta us," Stokey said through gritted teeth. He gestured towards the bow where the princess and The Ledge danced while Doogle clapped out a time signature for them and waited his turn. "Bloody teaching The Ledge how to dance?!"

Killian sighed, "Your concern is duly noted, mate." He clapped the disgruntled man on the shoulder. Tensions were already running high; dismissing him outright would have been bad form.

"One, two, three, one, two, three," Doogle chanted, clapping out a rhythm as the oddly matched couple waltzed.

"What the bloody hell is this?" Killian asked, trying to sound as if he found the whole affair a disgusting distraction rather than a charming display.

The Ledge jumped back from the princess as if burned and she shot Killian a furious glare and snatched back one of The Ledge's bulbous hands, placing it on her waist.

"They're off duty," she said airily, encouraging The Ledge to start leading her again.

"Her highness was er - re-teaching me to dance, as it were," The Ledge said awkwardly. The growths the witch had cursed him with made his voice rough, each word a gruff rumble.

"Hardly re-teaching," the princess beamed up at him. "Did you attend many royal balls when you were an officer, Ledge?"

Killian felt as if his eyes widen almost comically at the comment.

"A few," The Ledge said softly, turning the princess delicately before drawing her back into his arms.

"After all of this is over will you spare a dance for me at -"

"Alright, enough of this!" Killian barked, feeling it was all getting a bit out of control. It had been over two hundred years. Over two centuries since his men had thought about courting ladies and waltzing at balls and here she was bloody well inviting the most monstrous member of his crew for a dance at her bloody palace when she was meant to be a bloody prisoner.

The princess glared thinly at him, not necessarily in anger but as if he were some sort of cruel beast. He changed tactics, holding his hand out to her and bowing. "Princess, may I have the honor."

She looked at him warily and then sighed, resigned. "Ledge, do you mind?"

"Not at all, highness," the hunchback rumbled in response, going to sit next to Craven Pete who had been watching the whole exchange with a deep frown.

Killian blocked them out, he needed to speak to the princess, bargain with her if necessary. She took his hand tentatively and he drew her close against his chest before he began leading her in a waltz.

They stared at each other suspiciously for a long moment, their feet moving across the deck in time. "What are you doing," he asked her bluntly.

The princess scoffed, "While you may find drinking rum and staring at the sea for days on end the height of entertainment some of us find it boring."

"So, you're bored," he replied disbelievingly, spinning her away and drawing her back in. "You're dancing with The Ledge because you're bored."

She looked down at his chest, distracted by the charms hanging around his neck for a moment before speaking. "It makes me sad," she said. "How lost they all seem." She looked back up at him, "I'm not trying to turn your crew against you, Hook. I'm just... I was bored. I asked if he knew how to dance. That's it."

Killian pressed his lips together and turned her again, unable to think of anything else to say so they just danced for a while longer.

"Did you go to many royal balls?" she peaked up at him, curiosity rather than feigned innocence lining her face. "Lieutenant."

He stared down at her, feeling something within him clench. Good or bad he wasn't sure. "A few," he said shortly. "How did you know I was a Lieutenant?" Before she could answer he spoke again, dryly. "Let me guess. Bill."

"Don't give him such a hard time," the princess sighed. "And can we please, for a change have a conversation that isn't so... draining?"

"Why," he asked her warily. "So you can manipulate me into whatever game you're playing."

The princess stopped their dance, frowning at him but remaining in his arms. "All I want," she said softly. "All I've ever wanted is to go home. I tried fighting you, I tried reasoning with you and I tried appealing to your better nature which you so stubbornly refuse to believe exists."

Killian winced at that last sentiment.

"Now I'm trying to keep myself from obsessing over what's going on at home," she finished sadly and he could feel her begin to pull away from him but Killian drew her back in, beginning to lead again.

After a few moments of silence, during which Killian felt a multitude of emotions racing through him, most of which he was unable to understand he said, "I'm sorry, Emma."

She looked up sharply at his use of her first name. "What?"

"I'm sorry," he said again, conflict raging within him. He didn't want to say these things. It was a bad idea to say anything to her that would give her hope that she could convince him to follow her path - a path which would end with him being strung up by the neck - but he couldn't seem to stop himself. "I'm sorry for all of this, especially sorry that you can't be home when your family need you most. I wish things were different but I can't take you home yet."

She stared up at him, her mouth parting in surprise. It was the first time she'd ever really looked at him without an agenda, considering him with her green gaze and seeming to find something that made her smile and nod. "And there it is," she said softly.

"What," Killian felt as though he should kiss her. She was looking at him differently, beautiful and open for him to read. But of course he couldn't kiss her.

She have his arm a squeeze and smirked, but not arrogantly. "That honor i'm always talking about."

Killian felt as though he'd made a terrible mistake.

Some few days after that he and Smithy were drinking as the sun sank below the horizon, watching the princess and Craven Pete fight with blunted swords. He was showing her a few dirty pirate tricks she wouldn't have picked up from the King's knights and she seemed to find this entirely enjoyable.

"Never met a lass like her before," Smithy slurred drunkenly. He was always drunk, though. Somehow he still managed to get his work done.

Killian was a bit drunk too. They'd changed their heading so they were traveling north again towards Caledonia rather than trying to outrun Eric's ships by heading into the unknown western waters where they'd encountered Blackbeard's ship. "Aye, she's a princess though. Know many princesses?"

Smithy swallowed the rest of the rum in his flask and pouted, seeming not to hear Killian. "Needa go get me rum," he mumbled to himself, stumbling towards the lower deck.

The princess and Pete came to sit next to him, both sweaty and out of breath.

"Bloody hell, princess," Pete gasped, "Where'd ya learn to fight like that?"

She held out her hand to Killian for his flask and he handed it over with a raised eyebrow. This princess had certainly taken to rum.

After a healthy swallow of rum she replied, "My father, mostly. From the time I was able to hold a sword in my hand." She smiled whistfully. "And his knights, of course. I practice every day but my father hasn't quite got the time to dedicate."

Pete looked impressed, "Because he's King?"

"Yeah," she shrugged nonchalantly, as if that was a job anyone's father could have.

"What's he do then?" Pete asked, cocking his head to the side. "Sailors, we've got obvious work to do. King'ing seems a bit more... sit on your thrown and eat cake sorta job."

The princess sighed heavily, shaking her head. "The sort of rulers that sit on their thrones eating cake are the ones who have broken kingdoms and subjects living in poverty and misery. We want everyone to be happy."

"Don't forget, highness," Pete waved a finger at her. "I used to live in your kingdom. Wasn't so great back then."

She laughed sharply and Killian remembered their conversation about how her father wasn't biologically the heir to the southern kingdom he ruled. "We try to learn from the mistakes of our forbears and our enemies," the princess said diplomatically. "Mostly we've been focusing on rebuilding the Western Kingdom since the Evil Queen more or less destroyed it... it's difficult when she keeps coming back to try and kill us all."

"Oi! Pete!" Doogle was climbing down from the crow's nest. "Your shift, mate."

Craven Pete got to his feet and offered the princess a low courtly bow. "Highness," he said reverently, then jerked his head in a much less formal fashion to Killian. "Captain."

Killian sipped some rum. "So," he said conversationally. "Tell me more about politics in my old kingdom."

She looked thoughtful, mulling the question over. "Well, the Western Kingdom is my mother's ancestral home so... in theory we'll join my father's Kingdom to the Western Kingdom once we..." she looked despondent and Killian regretted asking. "Sort... the mess with Cora and the Dark One out..." she finished lamely.

"You will, princess." He told her confidently. "You're not one for quitting."

"Perhaps," she mumbled.

Killian wanted to take her mind off the troubles of her kingdom - troubles he was currently keeping her from helping resolve, the thought guility.

"Why aren't you betrothed?" He asked, trying to distract her with a subject that she seemed to find both exasperating and amusing. Marriage.

The princess sighed, "Rum please," she joked, holding out her hand for the flask. "My parents found true love in each other. They want the same for me. It's just tricky since... there's politics. Rebuilding the Western Kingdom. Alliances with the other kingdoms." She shrugged, resigned. "We've had more balls than I can count since i turned sixteen, trying to find me a husband. I have a short list, though. Friends who wouldn't make bad husbands or bad Kings."

His ears perked up at this, "Do tell, princess."

She laughed dryly. "They can't be first born or heir to the throne of their kingdom," she explained. "Since they'll be ruling with me. And obviously, they have to be of reasonably close in age to me."

"Obviously," Killian bit his lip to keep from laughing outright and she swatted at him playfully.

"Don't laugh, you asked."

"I did, carry on, love."

She looked thoughtful, thinking over her _shortlist_ as she called it. "King Thomas's grandson Leopold is my age. He's really nice and since he was born three minutes after his twin brother Tommy he's quite a ways back in the line of succession. We aren't related but he was named after my Grandfather,"

"Three minutes?" Killian gave a low whistle, "That's rotten luck. Poor chap."

"He doesn't care," the princess shrugged. "Honestly, the ones who are desperate for the throne are the worst rulers." She looked thoughtful again. "King Eric's youngest brother Ewan is a few years older than me but he's not so interested in women."

"Ah yes," Killian nodded sagely.

"Prince Philip of the Northern Kingdom is my first cousin once removed so that's a bit awkward," she continued blithely. "And then of course Merida's three brothers Hammish, Hubert and Harris are all sixteen so one of them could probably do the job."

Killian winced - she seemed to have temporarily forgotten about his imagined designs on her friend Merida. The idea that he was planning on kidnapping her potential future king to spend an eternity in Neverland wasn't entirely thrilling. At last he managed to say, "Sounds like there's some variety at least."

"Indeed," Emma stretched her arms above her head. "My birthday is in a few days time. There was going to be a grand ball and I was going to dance with all of them in my pretty new dress. They're all probably there now." Her mouth turned down at the sides. "Some are probably annoyed at me for being kidnapped. Others probably think I'm already dead. Either way... I hope they concentrate on Cora and Rumplestiltskin instead of me."

She seemed resigned, hopeless, and Killian hated himself for doing that to her. He watched her get to her feet and head below, looking more melancholy than he had ever seen her. Part of him thought, fuck it, and turn the ship around towards her home. She could protect them, make sure they weren't hanged. Or this could all be one big manipulation on her part to get him to take her home. Dancing with him, teasing him, getting him to like her. Wooing his crew with her kindness and grace. Killing Blackbeard so he owed her a favor.

Briefly, he wondered what Milah would think of the whole situation and with a start, Killian realized he hadn't thought about his long lost love in days. Usually she kept him up at night, kept him going throughout the day, kept his vengeance alight inside his chest. Bright and burning through the darkness. He felt guilty for not remembering her, not cherishing her memory. For thinking about this princess who had so embedded herself into him over the course of three short weeks over Milah.

But what would she think?

It was impossible to tell. Killian tipped more rum down his throat, hoping it would help his troubled soul.

* * *

The tavern smelt of urine, stale ale and the sea, just like it's drunken patrons who were alternating between merry singing and punching one another in the face. It was loud and boisturous, and Merida slipped in unnoticed, the dark hood of her cloak pulled down over her face. There were more than enough wenches to keep the sailors occupied but she didn't relish the thought of having her arse grabbed and chose to keep her face covered.

The past week had been exhausting and never ending, luckily Merida wasn't the type to give up or lose hope. With only the memory of Rumplestilktskin's blood on the white globe as the only means she had to go by in finding Emma, Merida had followed the coast south, keeping one eye on the horizon in the unlikely event that she would spot a ship - and even if she did what was she to do about it? - and one eye keeping track of the shape of the land to match with the mental map she'd drawn for herself.

She started stopping in taverns and docks, asking if anyone had seen or heard from Captain Hook in any time - that she had a score to settle with him - but they had either pretended to have never heard of him or hadn't seen him in years. So on she went. She had spent the day searching the docks and other taverns for information. She had stabled the horse - who didn't look like he would last much longer - and told herself she deserved a night at an inn after over two weeks of sleeping on pine needles. A hot meal, a bath and a bed would put her right as rain, she told herself.

Merida approached the counter and ordered a pint of ale before inquiring about a room in the inn. They were presently all occupied, but would be free within a few hours if she'd like to wait. So, leaving her hood up Merida sat in the corner of the tavern, watching the goings-on around her. They were mostly sailors, some could be pirates and the odd fisherman looking out of place. She sipped the ale and watched a group of men who seemed extraordinarily pleased with themselves.

"To Captain McGee!" they shouted, raising their glasses to a sunburnt middle aged man who was on the verge of collapsing with wide drunken smile on his face.

"Aye, it's sure a fine thing this it is," the captain slurred to what Merida assumed would be his crew.

"A finer captain than Blackbeard, no doubt," slurred another. "Finer still than Captain Hook."

Merida's head shot up at this. It was the first time in the two weeks of her travels that she'd heard anything remotely helpful. She pulled her hood down, revealing her fiery main of curly hair and purposefully strode over to the table of pirates, drink in hand. "Aye! What's this about Captain Hook!" She asked, feigning drunkeness. "He owes me ten bob, the thieving bastard."

"Aye, he is a thieving bastard," agreed McGee, "But he let us live which is more than I can say for most."

Merida frowned, "Isn't he one of the most ruthless pirates in all the realms?"

"Aye, lass, that he is." Said one of the crew, "Ye should have seen the way he and that lass of his cut down our brothers."

"Lass?" Merida's heart beat a little faster and she leaned forward with interest.

McGee held a hand over his heart, "A pirate I may be but that lass of his was braver than any I've ever seen. Said she were a pirate's daughter but I don' believe that for a second."

"Not for a bloody second," another added, "Did ye hear they way they kept callin' her 'Highness' - that lass was royalty of some sort. Gods only knows why she's taken up with Hook and his crew."

"Saved us, she did," said another emotionally. "I was shittin' meself and saying my prayers to the Gods thinkin death was comin shortly. Only for a beautiful lassie like tha' to say - wha' was it she said Dick?"

"Said she wanted a peace offering," Dick slurred, "Diamonds and all."

"Did ye hear her speakin'?" the other slurred in return, "T'was like the time I saw Queen Marie in my home kingdom, years ago. All sweet and clean like, not the sort you'd get outside of a castle. Nah, she musta been a high born lady."

"Aye, sounds about like it," Merida agreed, taking a healthy sip of her ale. "Whereabouts did you encounter Hook and the lass?"

"'Bout ten days west of here by sea," McGee said thoughtfully. "No idea where they were goin' to be honest."

Merida's heart, which had been plumping with renewed hope, fell at this news. Ten days travel by ship to the west. There was nothing out there but ocean as far as she knew, as far as anyone knew. Even if she had enough gold left to hire a boat how could she track a ship at sea?

McGee must have noticed her troubled face, "It's just ten bob, lass, I wouldn't worry to much over Hook if I'er you."

She thought quickly, trying to soften her voice to sound more girlish and less rough, "Oh, but I'm in love with him you see. I'm trying to find him so we can be together. He thinks I'm dead, ye see so he won't be coming to find me."

"Ahhhh, that's the way of it then is it."

"Poor lass"

McGee looked thoughtful, "They'll have to make for shore soon enough. When Blackbeard was tracking the Jolly we'd heard it hadn't made port in over three weeks. They'll be out of fresh water soon enough and have to make for port."

"Where does the Jolly Rodger make port?" Merida asked in a rush, no longer caring if she sounded suspicious.

"It don't," said McGee, "Ye hear tales if it makes port. Just needta ask the right people the right questions."

Merida sat back and drank the rest of her ale, trying to work out her feelings. Emma was safe - she was more than safe, apparently she was coming off as some sort of pirate herself, ans according to these pirates who'd encountered them, The Jolly Rodger needed to make for land soon.

And Merida would have a much better job finding the ship then.

* * *

 **A/N: Please review folks.**


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